By Kabir Dan-Katsina, Birnin Kebbi
The Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kebbi State has dismissed claims by former Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President, AbdulWaheed Ibrahim Umar, that the media has under-reported the achievements of the Kebbi people and the state government.
In a statement issued to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday, the Chairman of the chapel, Alhaji Kabir Wurma, described Umar’s remarks as misleading and an apparent attempt to impress Governor Nasir Idris during his address at an NLC retreat in the state.
Wurma said “We were taken aback when Comrade Umar, while at the Presidential Lodge, claimed to have toured the state to verify Governor Idris’ achievements within barely three years.
“With all due respect, he seems unaware of the realities of today’s digital media landscape. News stories are now published online and across social media platforms, with updates coming in real time.
“It is disappointing that such an uninformed statement was made, disregarding the extensive coverage of government initiatives and successes by journalists in Kebbi.
“We call on Comrade Umar, as an elder statesman, to retract his remarks.”
The NUJ chairman further emphasized the unique support Governor Idris has received from the media, noting that “No other governor in Nigeria has enjoyed such consistent reportage from journalists and media organizations as Governor Nasir Idris.
“Our coverage reflects the tangible progress and developmental milestones recorded by his administration.”
Wurma also recalled that during a visit to Kebbi on October 23, 2024, the current NLC President, Joe Ajero, praised the governor, stating that “There is not a day when positive stories are not coming out of Kebbi State.
“We are proud of the governor for the remarkable achievements recorded within the first year of his administration.”
Wurma questioned why the former NLC president would make claims about matters he had no knowledge of, saying there was not a single project that had not been captured or covered by journalists in the state.
“We are in a digital era now — if you want to know about any project in a state, you can search for it on Google and find out whether it was ever reported by journalists or not.
“Working journalists will not comment on why you frequently visit Kebbi, but we will not condone any attempt at sabotaging or disparagement of our work,” the chairman said.
