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Professor Umar Pate, Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State
By Akanji Alowolodu, Kano
Nigeria Federal Government has been called upon to as a matter of urgency look the direction of the media in the face of COVID-19 pandemic and grant bailout to them as has been done to other sectors.
The call which was in form of advocacy was made by a seasoned Communicator in the country, Professor Umar Pate while making a presentation during a two-day media dialogue on demand for creation for COVID-19 vaccines held in Tahir Guest Place, Kano organized by the Child Rights Information Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The Communication teacher opined that in spite of the risks taken by media practitioners during the peek of the pandemic which affected many media practitioners, government has not done anything to ameliorate the stress they were made to go through and still going through.
Umar Pate who is currently the Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Kashere said that, “They (Media practitioners) have done quite well and nothing has been done to support them. I have need to make advocacy some where that the Nigerian Media need to be given a bail out” .
He lamented that, “Other Sectors of the economy have been given bailout, even some political Sectors have been supported, but nothing has been done to the media. During the lockdown, they were the people who were in the frontline, arguing, persevering, reporting, searching, disseminating information down to the public, moping up and giving adequate information.
“But nobody has said thank you to them, nobody has asked how they have been surviving, you remember that time even the advert money they were getting went down, some media organizations had to reduce the number of staff thereby making many of them jobless”, he stressed.
He further said that, “Some media organizations had to increase their hours of operation, some had to spend to invest in newer Communication technologies for them to engage in things like others, but at the end of the day nobody said that way of appreciation to them, nobody thought of giving them a bail out, nobody thought of even supporting them”.
He stressed that, “this is an issue i think the Nigerian media should Continue to advocate, that policy Makers should know that we have been contributing and we need to be supported, we need to be strengthened in every Sense of the word and in order for us to be able to Contribute in strengthening the health sector in Nigeria because we are familiar with the nature of our Communities and know how to Serve them well”.
On what journalists should do to help people from believe the misconception attached to the COVID-19 vaccination, he urged them to intensify advocacy and proper education through reportage, human interest stories, interviews and other activities.
He however warned that that, “As Journalists, You are supposed to fact check, ask others to confirm, once you are able to fact cheek from 2, 3 Sources and you are able to ask 2, 3 areas but you cannot Confirm the credible source of that particular information and there are certain things that appear doubtful to you, you know that you are not obliged to use it”.
