By OLUSEGUN SAMUEL, Yenagoa
The Federated Correspondents’ Chapel (FCC) of the Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State Council, yesterday passed a vote of no confidence on Mr. Daniel Alabra, the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.
The FCC, made up of national newspapers correspondents in the state, passed the no confidence vote on Alabrah during the chapel’s monthly congress, and also threatened to boycott government activities if the press secretary doesn’t amend his ways.
The congress expressed great displeasure over the handling of media coverage of the governor by his CPS and his media team.
In a resolution signed by the Vice Chairman of the Chapel, Pauline Oyibe, and the members, the Chapel stated that the Chief Press Secretary’s had continuously denied correspondents access to state government programmes and Government House, and instead, chose to be feeding correspondents with statements.
They said the press statements were even sent to their headquarters without notices which hampers their constitutional responsibilities as journalists, and therefore, would no longer be tolerated.
The statement read: “Chapel observed that the Press Secretary to the governor has been treating journalists with utmost disrespect and disdain as shown by his attitude towards the Chapel, hence the vote of no confidence in Mr. Daniel Alabrah as the CPS to the governor.
“For instance, during the visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on February 19, 2022, the Press Secretary, in his usual manner, left out national correspondents in the arrangement for the visit to cover the ground breaking ceremony of the bridge in Angiama, Southern Ijaw Local Government.
“Since the inauguration of the Governor Diri government on February 14, 2020, correspondents have been treated to press releases with no possibility of attending government programmes to get first-hand information.
“Within the past two years, some correspondents have also been roundly criticised and reported to their head offices for writing the press releases their own way. We have also done our best to engage government on the need to ensure we cover government programmes to get first-hand information to no avail.
“It is against this backdrop that the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel notes that henceforth, no to government press releases until the government sees reason with us as the Fourth Estate of the Realm with a constitutional duty to report first hand the activities of government.
“We don’t want to believe that the governor is responsible for the shabby and poor attitude of the Press Secretary, as we call on the governor to rejig, reposition and rejuvenate his media team.
“The congress condemned the attitude of the Press Secretary, who will not allow correspondents access to government programmes, rather chooses to send press releases after such programmes have been held.” (THISDAY)
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