By Correspondent.
Hope is alive to ensure that the missing Vanguard Reporter, Comrade Tordue Salem,regains his freedom from abductors,the Speaker,House of Representatives,Femi Gbajabiamila, said as he assured that the search for the journalist continues.
In this respect, he said that he had been in constant touch with the security agencies, adding that he had been encouraging them to deploy all their resources to realise the objective.
Gbajabiamila stated this when he declared open a two-day capacity workshop, organised by the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, in conjunction with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung on Monday in Abuja.
The workshop is meant for members of the Press Corps reporting activities of the House of Representatives.
The Reporters recalls that Salem got missing on October 13, 2021 in Abuja, a developmnt that prompted Journalists in Abuja to stage a peaceful demonstration to the National Assembly, urging urgent steps to be taken to recover him.
Gbajabiamila continued: “I do know that the Vanguard Correspondent in the House of Representatives, Tordue Salem,who has been missing for some weeks, is yet to be found.
“I have been in contact with the leadership of the Press Corps and the authority that is doing this investigation since this matter came to light.
“I want to encourage security agencies not to relent in their effort to locate Tordue and bring him back to the House. I see the Press Corps as part of the institution and anything that torches one, torches the rest of us.”
Commenting on the workshop, the speaker pledged his continued commitment to uphold the freedom of speech, describing freedom of speech as one of the tenets of democracy, adding that members of the Press Corps in the parliament as part of the institution whose wellbeing was of paramount important.
The Speaker lauded the House Committee Media and Public Affairs, chaired by Rep. Benjamin Kalu( Bende Federal Constituency of Abia state), for correcting some negative impressions about the parliament.
“It goes to say that this committee plays an important role in the activities of the House as it is the intermediary between the House and the public. Your work goes a long way to shape perception of the House of Representatives and correct any misconception in the public sphere.
“You have a critical role in rephrasing the narrative of the public about the House of Representatives and in giving direction to the legislature and in propelling policies of government. “That is why those of you who practice in the institution are referred to as fourth estate of the realm.
“The House of Representatives and indeed the National Assembly, like every other legislature in the world is perhaps the most misunderstood institution, some unintentional and sometimes political.
“It falls, therefore,on members of this committee to begin to educate the public to change the narrative because sometimes, we are not aware or are ignorant of unforseen consequences of what will happen when a small committee or an institution like the National Assembly is understood or misjudged.
“It has the potential of snowballing or having a larger and more dangerous effect on our democracy. “That is why we look at the Committee from prism of your work,which is strategic to the survival of democracy,”he said.
Kalu,who in his speech said that the media had decentralized, expressed optimism that the House would continue to uphold the freedom of speech under the law.
He said: “The press has been decentralized with oftentimes destructive outcomes, but such is the price that we must pay for the beauty of democracy and the exchange that we must uphold for freedom of speech- the inalienable right of every Nigerian.
“We have continued to engage with the Nigerian public, through traditional and new media, to clarify issues and ensure that every Nigerian can access firsthand information on legislative activities.
“We have worked in lockstep with all the standing committees of the House, ensuring that we are, at all times, abreast of their oversight
activities to enable us adequately represent and defend the overall interest of the House.
“We have also advanced programmes as well as ensure an environment that serves to promote public engagement, education, awareness and reorientation,including periodic stakeholder roundtables, training, and capacity building for members of the press corps.
“While we must continue to hold the media accountable for an objective and balanced reportage, it is important to note that they face hazards in the line of duty and as such, the parliament, especially the Committee which I oversee, will continue to see to their safety and improved remuneration for the profession.
“Only recently, Tordue Salem, a reporter for Vanguard newspapers covering the House of Representatives went missing.
The Media and Public Affairs Committee under the able Leadership of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila will not rest on its oars until our own is found.”
Contributing, the Director-General of NILDS, Professor Abubarkar Sulieman, encouraged the National Assembly to develop media and communication strategy to properly inform the people of its activities.
With National Update reports.
