Speaking at the Appreciation Day for Nigerian News Media Elders on Wednesday in Lagos, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, acknowledged media elders as mentors, role models, and custodians of journalistic excellence.

Omotoso, represented by Mr Kayode Oyekanmi, Director, Strategy Centre of the ministry, charged younger media practitioners to emulate the legacies set by the elders.

He said that while many of the revered elders had retired from active newsroom duties, their influence continued to resonate powerfully across the profession.

“I am proud to say that I am one of the many protegees who have benefitted from your mentorship and wisdom in the noble craft of journalism.

“Personally, I find the idea of an Appreciation Day for our media elders profoundly symbolic, not only for those beginning their careers as journalists, but also for those who have served as mentors, role models, and custodians of journalistic excellence,” Omotoso said.

He described journalism as a calling requiring courage, integrity, fairness, and commitment to truth and public service.

Omotoso said it was heartwarming that while the elders were still present, the professional community was recognising their immense contributions to building an informed and conscious society.

He said the act of gratitude would go a long way in promoting the spirit of patriotism, humility, continuity in the profession.

“Today’s celebration reminds us that journalism is not just a career. It is a lifelong calling, a calling that demands courage, integrity, fairness, and unwavering commitment to truth and public service.

“This appreciation teaches us that journalism at its very core is public trust, one that must always be guided by conscience, fairness, and accuracy.

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“You inspired generations of reporters, editors, and broadcasters to approach their craft with both passion and patriotism.

“Permit me to commend the Journalism Clinic for this thoughtful and noble initiative. Honouring our media elders is not only a celebration of history, but also an investment in our very own future.

“It reminds us that journalism thrives on legacy, mentorship, and integrity, values that remain indispensable to the survival and renaissance of our nation,” Omotoso said.

In his welcome address, the convener of the event, Mr Taiwo Obe, said he was convinced that people must know that Nigerian journalism played a critical role in Nigeria’s struggle for sovereignty and the sustenance of democracy.

Obe, who is the founder of Journalism Clinic, said media practitioners deserved to be celebrated and appreciated, even with fanfare.

One of the elders, Mr Patrick Oke, emphasised the responsibility of broadcasters and writers to carefully consider their words and messages.

Oke said words had significant power to shape lives and influence the mindset of the audience.

He called for a focus on instilling positive values and ideals in the younger generation through media content.

“Media professionals must prioritise building minds over commercial or entertainment purposes, they should encourage regular forums to remind the youth of their responsibility in shaping society positively,” Oke said.

Source: NAN

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In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Mr. Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, on Saturday, INEC described the story as fake, stressing that the chairman was hale and hearty.

The statement reads in part:

“Our attention has been drawn to a fake news narrative circulated by a section of the social media claiming the purported death of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at a London hospital. The story first appeared on Monday, 9th December 2024.

“We hereby appeal to the public to disregard the rumour. Prof. Yakubu is alive, hale and hearty.”

The commission stated that the chairman had, in fact, not travelled to London in the last two years.

“He was present at an interactive meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on Wednesday, 11th December 2024. He also chaired the Commission’s meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners on Thursday, 12th December 2024. Both events were widely covered on television and reported on the front pages of most newspapers yesterday, Friday 13th December 2024,” the commission stated.

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The commission recalled that a similar fake story was reported in 2021.

“Three years later, they are spreading the same rumour again,” it stated.

It warned that “Those who indulge in this practice, as well as those who spread it, should be mindful of its effect not only on the individual but also the wider society.

“The commission will continue to work with genuine media professionals to combat the scourge of fake news and the danger it poses to society.”

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The governor also directed the immediate payment of the gratuity of the slain director to cushion the effects of his  death on the family he left behind.

He has also instructed the Ministry of Housing to provide the wife and children of late Oyekanmi with one of the affordable homes built by his administration.

Governor Abiodun made these known at Ibara Baptist Church on Wednesday, during the memorial service held in honour of the late  Oyekanmi.

“I also promised when I came to see you, Mrs Oyekanmi, that we will not leave you; that we will stand by you. The Almighty God himself will be with you. But we will stand by you, with you, we will support you and your family.

“We cannot replace Taiwo, but we will do everything to cushion the effect of his departure.

“I have since signed up on some of that support immediately. So, this is not a promise that you have to come to us to request that we fulfil.

“Your children, the state will be taking over the responsibility of their education. I have instructed the payment of your husband’s gratuity immediately.

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“I also have instructed the Ministry of Housing to provide you with one of our affordable homes.

“I know you have a home of your own, but in my opinion, I thought perhaps you may decide to commercialize that so that will give you a sense of income to cushion the effect of your departed husband,” he said.

Governor Abiodun also called on the family of the deceased to support the wife and the children he left behind, adding that all the supports to be given to her are for her exclusively.

“Now, I will plead with the members of the family. I know how our tradition works. Please, bear with this woman. Yes, Taiwo is your brother, nephew, cousin, but Taiwo is this woman’s husband, she has lost her husband, the children have lost their father.

“All these supports that are due to be given to her are for her exclusively. The Head of Service is under my instruction to ensure that he provides the necessary oversight to ensure that she enjoys this support exclusively, and I want to thank you for understanding,” he disclosed.

Abiodun reiterated his promise that his administration would do all within its power to bring the perpetrators of the crime to book.

He said that it was in line with that promise that a reward of N50 million was announced for anyone with useful information that could lead to the arrest of those responsible for the crime.

Governor Abiodun described Oyekanmi as  humble, diligent, dedicated, and extremely hardworking, adding that he was very reliable and dependable.

Responding on behalf of the family, Mr. Lanre Oyekanmi, who described the death of their brother as a loss not only to the family but to the whole Ifoyintedo community, said that the family would support the wife and children of their brother.

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Prince Abiodun also said that his administration would take full responsibility for the welfare and wellbeing of the family Oyekanmi left behind.

Governor Abiodun stated this when he paid a condolence visit to the home of the deceased former director on Thursday.

Mr. Oyekanmi was attacked and murdered on Wednesday within the Abeokuta metropolis while on an official assignment.

An emotional Governor Abiodun described the deceased as diligent, hardworking, honest, and God-fearing.

He said that the Governor’s Office and the entire state workforce had been devastated by the killing, assuring that everything possible would be done to bring the perpetrators to justice.

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“How could we imagine yesterday morning that we will be here this morning condoling with this family.

“We are all heavily burdened, the pain not describable. He left us asking questions since yesterday afternoon.

“Taiwo was very hardworking, very dedicated, diligent, honest, unassuming, a man who loved God, who served God, very humble. He was very conscientious.

“Let me assure you that we will do everything within my power to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book.

“I will not leave any stone unturned until these criminals are arrested and dealt with; that much I also promise.

“I want to assure the members of his family, particularly his wife and children, that we will not leave you.

“We will take full responsibility for your welfare and for your wellbeing,” Prince Abiodun said.

He noted that the death of Oyekanmi was a painful reminder that life is a journey, adding that the deceased lived a life of impact, touched everybody, and was well respected by everyone.

Responding on behalf of the family of the deceased, his younger brother, Tayo Oyekanmi, thanked the governor for the visit even as he said destiny had been shattered, dreams cut short, not only in the family, but the entire Ifonyintedo community in Ipokia local government area of the state.

He urged the governor to unravel the people behind the killing in no distant time to assuage the pains of the family.

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Oyekanmi, who was the Director of Finance and Accounts at the Governor’s Office, had picked up an undisclosed amount of money.

After leaving the bank, a branch of Fidelity Bank in Abeokuta, and was heading back to the office, he was stopped by the gunmen.

It was gathered that the gunmen, about five, shot the accountant dead under the Kuto bridge and made away with the money in his possession.

It was gathered that Oyekanmi and other assistants who sustained gunshot injuries during the attack were then rushed to the State General Hospital at Ijaiye, where the accountant later died.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Abiodun Alamutu, said the accountant was with a driver and one other person and they were with  a home-made bullion van.

“They were supposed to have a police escort, but for certain reasons, the person was permitted to travel to attend to some issues. So, consequently he was not part of the movement.

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“According to the report, after making the withdrawal, and on their way back to the office, they were accosted.

“A vehicle blocked them on top of the bridge, five occupants of the vehicle came down, shot at the director and from their vehicle brought out a sledge hammer to force the receptacle where the money was kept open and they left with the money.

“As at that time there was no information, the police escort was not with the team and they sped off.

“The driver claimed to have trailed them to a point near Conference Hotel where he lost contact with them,” he said.

Alamutu said further that he had directed the Area Commander to get to the bank and request for the CCTV footage which would give the police an insight into the vehicle in question.

“There is a possibility of identifying the culprits if they ever ventured to step out of the vehicle or may be they just maintained their position in the vehicle.

“I have reached out to Lagos and everywhere in the command to block all the exits out of the state, while we are trying to identify them because they said they were five and they used hood,” he said.

The Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi, has already visited the late accountant’s residence to commiserate with the family.

Source: NAN

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The Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, gave the warning on Friday in Abuja while responding to PDP’s demand on Yakubu to resign from his position.

Oyekanmi said that the latest call by the PDP, just like it did previously for the resignation of Yakubu as chairman of INEC was misplaced.

“Interestingly, the PDP did not provide any convincing evidence to back up all the spurious allegations it listed as Yakubu’s “infractions”.

“To be sure, the PDP failed to provide any evidence to substantiate the allegations of Yakubu’s “brazen violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines, and criminal manipulation and alteration of election results”.

“The PDP also did not give the evidence to prove its claims that Prof. Yakubu “sabotaged the uploading and transmission of results from polling units,” he said.

Oyekanmi said that besides, the “several evidences” that the PDP claimed “abound in the six geo-political zones of the country where winning figures scored by the PDP were switched in favour of the APC” were also not laid bare.

“To be sure, INEC does not rig elections. Rather, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has, since its introduction, among other innovations, ensured the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that only properly registered voters are allowed to vote on election day.”

Oyekanmi advised the PDP to toe the part of honour and pursue its case in court.

“It is common knowledge that the PDP has rejected the outcome of the presidential election and has vowed to challenge it in court.

“The path of honour for the party, therefore, is to pursue its case in court, armed with all the evidences at its disposal and wait for the court’s decision.

“But going about canvassing the same issues the party intends to plead in court on the pages of newspapers and calling for the resignation of the INEC chairman is like putting the cart before the horse.

“More importantly, the PDP is hereby reminded that making libelous allegations against the person of the INEC chairman is actionable. The party should henceforth desist from the practice,” Oyekanmi warned.

The PDP had earlier demanded the resignation of Yakubu.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Debo Ologunagba, addressing a press conference in Abuja said that the PDP had further reviewed the conduct of February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Ologunagba alleged that the elections were conducted in violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the results were manipulated to subvert the will of Nigerians.

He said PDP had reviewed the move by INEC to reconfigure the BVAS, erase and destroy evidence of the Presidential election.

He said the action was aimed at denying Nigerians and political parties, especially PDP and its candidate access to relevant information required to prosecute its case at the Presidential Election Tribunal.

Ologunagba called on Inspector General of Police and Director General of the Directorate of State Services, DSS, to immediately commence investigations into alleged electoral violations and manipulations by INEC.

He also called the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate allegations that certain top officials of INEC were heavily compromised financially to manipulate the electoral process.

Source: NAN

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The Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, made this known at a webinar on Edo/Ondo Elections organised by the International Press Centre, IPC, and the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria, ACSPN.

The theme of the webinar was “Edo/Ondo Elections: The Imperative of Safety Consciousness and Conflict Sensitivity in Media Coverage and Reportage.”

Oyekanmi said that the commission was committed to providing a level playing field for all candidates and parties.

“We are not interested in the outcome of the elections but the credibility of the process to ensure that materials get to the polling unit on good time.”

Oyekanmi appealed to journalists to be fair and objective in reporting the Edo and Ondo elections, adding that in spite of the utterances of political actors in Edo and the challenges, INEC was ready for credible poll.

He said that the commission had taken proactive measures to address security concerns.

“INEC is determined to conduct the election despite the current difficult circumstances.

“Out of the 14 activities listed in the timetable released in February, we have carried out 12.

“The only two left are the deadline for campaigns slated for September 17 and the election proper slated for September 19.

“All the logistics needed for the election have been taken care of. The non-sensitive materials have been delivered to the 18 local government areas of the state,” he said.

Mr Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of ICP, said the key objectives of the webinar were to strengthen the capacity of the media to engage professional, ethical, issue-oriented, gender-sensitive issues.

Arogundade said it was also to improve their capacity on inclusive sensitive and conflict sensitive reporting of the electoral processes and elections.

Arogundade said the webinar was organised with a specific focus on the imperative of safety consciousness and conflict sensitivity in media coverage of the two elections because of the prevailing circumstances in the two states.

“In the area of safety, we are looking at how journalists could avoid getting in harm’s way in the course of their legitimate duties amid the general concern that the elections could turn violent as pockets of violence are already being recorded here and there particularly in Edo.

“We are also looking at how journalists could ensure their health safety in view of the fact that the two elections are taking place under the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the area of conflict sensitivity, we are looking at how journalists could contribute to the peaceful conduct of the elections by embracing the principles and guidelines of conflict-sensitive journalism,” he said.

Arogundade urged journalists in the two states and elsewhere to read and digest the Resource Manual on Elections and Democratic Accountability and the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage.

“Both publications actually have chapters or sections that deal extensively with details of how journalists could be conflict-sensitive, avoid hate speech and be personal-safety-sensitive in the coverage and reportage of elections,” he said.

He reminded journalists that their main duty during elections was to relay the information that citizens would require to make informed choices.

“It is a duty we must not abdicate but which we have to undertake with the utmost sense of professional responsibility so as to set the appropriate pubic interest agenda as far as elections in Edo and Ondo states are concerned,” he said.

Source: NAN

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