President of Environment Reporters Association of Nigeria Mr. Ambrose Inusa Sule has called on colleagues covering strategic government agencies to be fair in their reportage.
Mr. Sule advised journalists not to allow some individuals to use them to fight their perceived enemies at a media parley between Environment Reporters Association of Nigeria ERAON and the Transmissiom Company of Nigeria TCN,
He commended the efforts of the TCN management for their deft handling of the distribution of energy in such an environmentally sound manner.
The President of ERAON said that under the difficult terrain that impacts negatively on the smooth transmission of electricity, it was impossible not to resort to what he called “emergency procurement methods” to quickly effect repairs. He stated that from their observations, the process of getting worthwhile results was full of hiccups and demanded extra effort.
“We live in difficult times and it is necessary to show concern to speed up nation-building”, he stated.
While blaming the activities of criminals, vandals, and insurgents for the partial or full collapse of the nation’s grid which often drags the nation into disrepute, he explained that the problems are not insurmountable stressing that his association would do well to always inform Nigerians on the complexity of generating and distributing electricity nation-wide, especially in flood-prone areas which in turn result to rapid erosion of Tower Bases, which is inevitable as the same lines must convey electricity to citizens.
“Under this circumstance, no responsible management would fold their hands and watch”, he stated.
The president however declared that his association was glad at the sustainable methods put in place to minimize unexpected developments. “When we are reporting such issues, we need to be mindful of the steps taken to ensure sustainability; that’s how we can be accurate and professional in our report”, he said.
Ambrose Sule therefore called on his colleagues to be fair in the coverage of the affairs of strategic departments of government, adding that it was necessary to display patriotism at all times.
“There is nothing to gain by deviating from the set standards and principles of smooth journalism practice”, he concluded.
However, it was understood that the media parley stemmed from the need to adequately inform Nigerians on the complexities faced by Generating and Distributing electricity nationwide and the sustainable efforts sometimes introduced to mitigate adverse developments inimical to the well-being of the nation.
