Members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ in Gombe State have been barred by security men from entering the Government House to cover Independence Anniversary and Media Paley with the Executive Governor of the state.
This was disclosed in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary the Correspondents Chapter, William Attach and Hajara Usman Leman respectively on Thursday.
According to the statement, the Journalists, who arrived the gate in their bus, were invited by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Isma’ila Uba Misilli, were told by the Chief Security Officer of the Government House, Sani Adamu (SP) that there was no schedule of any official programme; as such, the Journalists could not be allowed in.
According to him, “I am not aware of any event in the Government House, there is no schedule of any official function, I am doing my job. So, the order is, ‘No going in and that is it’. Please you can vacate the entrance; the Governor may come in any moment.”
However, all interventions by one of the media aides to the Governor, Mr. Jack Tasha, to allow the Journalists in proved abortive, including a call to the SSA, who promised to call the CSO to allow the Journalists in.
Meanwhile, some Government House Press Crew members were allowed into the Government House on hindered, making the Correspondents’ Chapel members wonder if they were not press men.
