The Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has called on the Nigerian media to always ensure credible and fair reportage of governance issues.
Adesina who spoke in Abuja during the 6th anniversary conference and award ceremony of Presidential Dairy Magazine commended the medium for being credible and fairn to President Buhari’s administration in their reportage.
He said every government need encouragement but expressed reservation that there have been so much criticism and reportage of unfounded stories against the present administration.
He said, “It gives encouragement and support. When you take a copy of the presidential dairy magazine, you are happy that yes this is a publication that recognises what the Buhari’s administration is doing and it also disseminate it to the general public.
“No government will be happy to see his citizens being killed. But when you hear the narrative in the country today, it is as if it is the government is even interested in the killings of Nigerians.
“This is a government which has done extremely well in the area of security more than any government in the history of this country. It has equipped the Armed Forces with platforms and equipment.
“I think when this government came, the Air Force had about two or three serviceable fighter jets but today, there are over 20, all procured by the Buhari administration. The same you will find in the Navy, the same you will find in the Army. It has equiped our military so much that when another government come it does not need to start from there again. It will just continue.
“But do you know what? There is not a single word of appreciation from most circles in Nigeria and what I like to say is that everybody, including you and I need appreciation from time to time. If you want to be honest with yourself this administration has built infrastructure such as roads, rail and bridges.”
Earlier in his keynote address, an associate professor with the Mass Communication Department, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, Dr. Murtada Busair Ahmad said Journalism should not have been establish without politics.
“You cannot have good governance without democracy but democracy would not exist without the good press.
“In advance countries specifically in United States, democracy is very cherished and the purpose of the free press is to attain democracy and the attainment of democracy is targeted on the attainment of good governance. So all over the world we cannot have good governance without democracy,” Ahmed said.
In his remarks, the editorial adviser of Presidential Dairy Magazine, Dr Abubakar Jimoh, went down memory lane on how the medium started in 2015, and reckoned that the objective has met continuously.
