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| The two embattled journalists |
the redeployment of some journalists working with the State Broadcasting
Corporation to the state teaching service commission as another sign of
the state government’s desperation to create fear in the hearts of
newsmen working in the State Radio and Television services and prevent
them from performing their roles as neutral stakeholders ahead of the
governorship election.
In a release issued on Sunday by the Chairman of the party, Hon Soji
Adagunodo, the PDP said the decision of the State government to redeploy
the State chairperson of the National Association of Women Journalists,
Mrs Motunrayo Ayegbayo, the chairman of the Sports Writers Association
of Nigeria, Mr Adeyemi Aboderin and two other journalists to the
classrooms runs against common sense and global best practices.
The statement recalled that these journalists have built a career
ranging from between 12 and 20 years as reporters and news editors in
the service of the State broadcasting corporation who will find it
difficult or even impossible to learn new roles as effective classroom
teachers in public schools.
Hon Adagunodo described the argument that the affected journalists had
earlier qualifications in the education sector as untenable in view of
the fact that most of the worlds most successful journalists had earlier
qualifications in other disciplines which did not disturb them from
excelling in the Media industry.
According to the PDP chairman, “these are men and women who have attended
many professional courses apart from gaining significant cognate
experience on the job over the years”
The State PDP suspects that the affected journalists are deliberate
targets of the state government as a result of their adherence to
ethical practice which may not allow for praise singing and sycophancy
which the State broadcasting service is getting notorious for.
“We recall that a few other staffers of the OSBC have been subject to
arbitrary suspension and issuance of reprimand for their professional
forthrightness and independent mindedness in the recent past,” he said.
The Party therefore condemns the action of the State government and
calls on the Management of the OSBC to immediately rescind this decision
which has no place in the Stations scheme of service.
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