Over 100 Senior Journalists, editors and publishers covering the Presidency, under the aegis of State House Press Corps (SHPC), today, began a three-day retreat in Kaduna with change mantra as focus.
The retreat, which is being sponsored and hosted by the Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, is being held at Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, on race course road, Kaduna.
The occasion was declared opened by the governor, even as the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, who is the Chief Convener of the retreat spoke on the essence of the retreat.
Garba Shehu admitted that members of the State House Press Corps were the best in Africa in terms of knowledge of what they are supposed to do, but that such was not an excuse not to continue to improve.
The Presidential spokesman, who commended the Press Corps, also cautioned them against the hysteria that is now pervading media industry, where each media is sacrificing accuracy of it reports for haste.
“Accuracy in journalism is essencial. Accuracy must come ahead of speed. If you are not sure, hold fire. Myself and Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, have made ourselves available to the press, I dare say, more than many people who previously occupied similar positions in the past. You have our phone numbers, our email addresses; you are free to stop us whenever you see us outside…and so any information can be easily verified by first contacting us.”
Garba Shehu expressed President Muhammadu Buhari’s appreciation of the role they played in igniting the Change agenda that has swept into Nigeria in March 2015, but that the President has begun the Change agenda with the recent happenings.
“This government still requires the assistance of the media to continue that process of Change. The President needs the press to remain impartial and eschew spurious incentives when reporting and carrying out your responsibilities.”
Editor of the Guardian newspaper, Mr. Martins Oloja is expected to deliver a lecture on ‘Balancing State House Reporting with National Interest.”
A senior editor in the AIT, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and the United State of America’s Counselor for Public Affairs in Nigeria, Victoria Sloan would also deliver lectures on various topics against the background of the theme: ‘Journalism And The Change Mantra, State House In Focus.’ [myad]