Deborah Onyofufeke
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC),has expressed concern on the safety of journalists, noting that some journalists operate under difficult conditions where freedom of expression and the press is relegated to the background.

Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, SAN, said this,  Tuesday, in Abuja, in his welcome address during a capacity building training, tagged:” Defending the Rights of Journalists and the Media through National Safety Mechanisms”, organized for staff of Corporate Affairs Commission and journalists.

“It cannot be gainsaid that safety of journalists has been a growing concern in the country and elsewhere in the world, given that some journalists operate under difficult conditions, where freedom of expression and the press is relegated to the background. In such climes, the issue of censorship, harassment, unlawful arrest and detention, and assassination are common,” he said.

He said,”Despite relevant conditional guarantee and legislations,there are situations in the country where freedom of expression and the press,as well as journalists’ safety are violated and trampled for no just cause.”

Açcording to Ojukwu,”the culprits in such circumstances could be state or non-state actors, or individuals who are not comfortable with the outcomes of certain investigative journalism, usually carried out by the press in line with their mandate of holding the government,and by extension, public officers accountable to the people.”

Ojukwu said the Commission,saddled with the responsibility of protecting the rights of citizens, including journalists,on its part, “will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure that human rights are adequately protected at all times.”

The training,he said,” will no doubt present another opportunity for the media practitioners and experts in the field of Mass Communication to rub minds on the hazards of journalism profession and how to navigate through them,and still come out stronger as the mirror of the society.”

“In view of the ongoing, capacity building training like this one we are witnessing today is very crucial because journalists who are the agents of change and promoters of good governance should be exposed to capacity building training to enable them to understand safety Mechanisms which they need to survive in any situation and pragmatically discharge their duties effectively,”he added.

Citing the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity,the NHRC boss said:” In a climate where journalists see safe, citizens find it easier to access quality information and many objectives become possible as a result: democratic governance and poverty reduction; conservation of environment; gender equality and the employment of women; justice and culture of the human rights,to name a few.”

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He noted that,”Unfortunately,cases abound where some Nigerian journalists have lost their lives in the line of duty, owing to alleged excesses of unscrupulous state actors and in some other cases,by non-state actors,who may be pursuing some selfish interest.”

Ojukwu,who said:”The Commission has always enjoyed a robust partnership with the media houses”,noted that the development has assisted it in keeping the public abreast with its programmes and activities.

“This training is designed as a give back,as a corporate social responsibility on the part of the Commission to the journalists. This is because we value the partnership between us,”he explained.