By Williams Odunze
In order to get wider publicity and to draw the attention of people in authority to the plights of Nigeria Students, the Zone F chapter of National Association of Nigeria Students,NANS has sought Media partnership with the Nigeria Union of Journalists,NUJ, Imo State Chapter.
Leading the group to the Imo State NUJ Secretariat at Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, a FUTO student,Comrade PraiseGod EJike,who recently emerged the Deputy Coordinator,Zone F of NANS maintained that they recognized the role of Journalists in propagating the well being of the society especially in terms of holding the people in authority accountable to the people.
“The Media is known as the Fourth Estate of the Realm and has the right to function as independently as possible in order to foster objectively and not the journalism of he who pays the piper dictates the tune.It educates the people about thei rights and shows them how to demand them”
He went further to say that Journalists continue to draw the attention of the people to the issues which need fixing, using the educational sector as an example.
The students leader, noted that students have suffered a lot in the hand of the Government that pays little or no attention to their plights.
“In recent time,there have been a lot of academic backwardness, ranging from ASUU strike, illegal extension of academic year of Students, police brutality in our various campuses etc”
He stated that haven understood the monumental role the Nigeria Union of Journalits is playing in ensuring fairness in all level, highlighting societal issues and challenges, made it imperative that the students community under his leadership will foster a robust relationship with the Union by way of partnership with the view to strengthening the activities of the students community.
In his reaction, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Imo NUJ, Comrade Precious Nwadike assured the student body of the Union’s readiness to partner with them.
He maintained that the Union is ever ready to offer any Media assistance to them whenever the need to do so arises.
Highlight of the visit was the taking of Photograph with NANS Leadership and some NUJ Exco members.
