Promote Human Rights Irrespective of Sex, Tribe, Niger Gov Urges NAWOJ

Promote Human Rights Irrespective of Sex, Tribe, Niger Gov Urges NAWOJ

By Laleye Dipo in Minna

As the 10th Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) begins in Minna, the Niger State capital, Saturday, the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has charged women journalists to be in the vanguard of the protection of human rights irrespective of the sex or tribe.

Governor Bello, in a message to the conference, noted that female journalists also have the arduous task and obligation of contributing to the building of a new Nigeria that will meet the aspirations not only of the present but future generations.

Represented by his deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, Bello said female journalists are more relevant in the contemporary Nigeria and as such, they need to be up to date in knowledge and requisite skills of the profession.

“You all need to catch in the technology driven society of the 21st century,” Bello insisted.

He also suggested that for women journalists to be able to mentor more women to the top, they should establish and lead media outlets because whosoever leads an organization defines who is hired, promoted and recruited and whose stories are told.

“As leaders in the fourth estate, the next set of NAWOJ leaders must fight for the rights and privileges of your members and help to protect and promote the creation of right opportunities for the less privileged in the society irrespective of their social class, creed, ethnic or cultural backgrounds or gender,” the governor asserted.

The outgoing National President of NAWOJ, Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, in an address, urged the association to always honour female journalists in order to lift their profiles.

Omowole also asked NAWOJ to be in the forefront of the promotion of women agenda.

The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chief Chris Isiguzo, announced that the NUJ will provide NAWOJ the necessary support to establish her own secretariat in Abuja.

Isiguzo described the organisation of the delegates conference as the best NAWOJ has had so far.

Nearly 2,000 delegates are attending the conference which will also witness the election of new officers to run the affairs of the association.

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