The Delta North Senatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Ned Nwoko, has said during critical times in governance, journalists should always expose critical issues concerning the public without expecting any kind of reward.
Nwoko said it is their duty as a watchdog to always scrutinize any policies that are of public concern and follow them up and be objective in their reporting.
He made this known while speaking with journalists in Asaba on Tuesday at the NUJ Secretariat under “The Platform” a program organized by the Delta State council of NUJ to interact with candidates of the various political parties.
According to the senatorial candidate, he explained that “As the fourth estate of the realm, journalists are very important. You should be the conscience of society by carrying out your watchdog obligations objectively.
“In advanced societies, quite often, you see and hear about the problems of the society through the prism of journalism. It is the duty of journalists to unearth and report issues of public concern without expecting any form of reward. With their objective reports, they help in making society a better place.
“In Nigeria, the story is a bit different. Some journalists are making a mockery of the profession by reporting false and slanted information, reporting opinions rather than facts, because of financial gains or protection of interest.
“There should be a correlation between journalism and good governance. But, because of the reward and gratification syndrome prevalent among Nigerian journalists, government officials do as it pleases them,” he said.
While still speaking, Nwoko characterized governance as a football team, where the players could only do well on the pitch with proper teamwork and familiarity with one another.
He clarified that it would be difficult for him to operate in a situation where the President or the Delta State Governor were of different political parties, augmenting that a Governor policy could likewise be hindered by a President elected on the platform of an opposition party.
He, therefore, urged Deltans, and undoubtedly Nigerians, the significance to vote for the entire team of the Peoples Democratic Party to rescue, rebuilt, and reset Nigeria from the enormous harm caused by the APC-led federal government in the country.
Explaining, Nwoko said “Most likely, the majority of you will say they support me if asked. But supporting me without supporting the complete team is not enough. There is no point in sending me to Abuja to be in the minority.
“As a representative, being in the opposition makes it difficult for you to be effective. No matter how determined I am to perform effectively, being in the opposition will dampen my efforts.
“The government at the center may likely not approve my plans because they are not part of theirs. This is why you must be logical with your voting structure. Do not mismatch votes. If you are supporting me, then you have to support other PDP candidates. That is the only way your support will be meaningful to me.”
Again he said if given the mandate, he would use his knowledge to give his senatorial district an effective and efficient representation that would impact positively the lives of the people adding that Delta North is blessed with beautiful vegetation and a good geographical location that can be turned into one of the best tourist destinations in Africa.
The former member of the House of Representatives, who represented the Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency also added that he plans to introduce large-scale farming to his senatorial zone as a means to generate more revenue for the state.
He further applauded the state NUJ for organizing “the Platform” as a means to interact with candidates of the various political parties, to help the electorate to make better selections in the poll.
In response, Comrade Michael Ikeogwu, the Chairman, of Delta State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) said “the Platform” was organized to give the same opportunity to candidates of all political parties to tell the electorate why they should be voted for in the elections.
He also thanked Nwoko for honoring the NUJ’s invitation.
