The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said Nigerian journalists should be proud of their frontline roles in nation-building and entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria.
Lawan made the remark on Sunday when he congratulated Nigerian journalists and all the stakeholders in the profession on the occasion of this year’s World Press Freedom Day.
Lawan noted that the day was specially set aside to highlight the heroic contributions of journalists to human struggle for justice, peace and development.
He assured the stakeholders in the journalism profession in Nigeria that they had a pillar of support in the ninth National Assembly for the advancement and practice of their noble profession.
The Senate President said the theme for this year’s celebration: “Journalism without fear or favour” was quite relevant in the light of the challenges facing the profession and the entire world.
Lawan said the advent of the social media posed a challenge to the traditional media but which they could turn into an advantage by sticking to their training and the ethics of the profession.
The Senate President said the media had a very significant role to play in the current health emergency by feeding the public useful information about the Coronavirus pandemic.
“For the world to win the battle against COVID-19, journalists too must not only be appreciated as frontline workers, they must have access to relevant information to enlighten the people on how to surmount the emergency,” Lawan said.
Lawan urged them to continue to stand for and uphold the truth and fairness without fear or favour in the practice of their profession.
