BY: Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
Leader Universal Theocratic Government/Head of Administration, BCS Worldwide, Leader Olumba Olumba Obu, has called on journalists to be objective and fair in the course of their reportage to ensure unity across the country..
He gave the advice when he met with the leadership of the Cross River State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by Comrade Nsa Gill Abasi and other veterans.
He said “your service to the society is so sensitive that the peace, prosperity and moral consciousness of the society depends on it. You all would agree with me that one carless report from a media house based on half truths can lead to a complete breakdown of peace and order in the society.”
However, “on the other hand, a media report that is based on facts and truth can heal the divide and bread peace in the society. This is why it is important that whoever volunteers his life as a journalist must be ready to speak truth to power, pursue the truth at all times and remain committed to the ideals of fairness, objectivity and honesty”.
He said, “you must develop an analytical mind that allows you base stories on fact and sound judgement instead of emotions. Dear Journalists, so much depends on you. God has placed you in a position to hold a mirror that reflects on society, to inform society with the information they need to live their lives. Information that they need to make decisions about different things”.
Furthermore, “unto you has been bestowed the power to influence public perceptions, tell the truth and make sure people’s voices are heard. You must at all times be conscious of the fact that you have an all-embracing role to act against the injustice, oppression, misdeeds and partiality going on in the society. You must be bold to speak truth to power. You must therefore commit yourself to this role and stick to the ethics of your profession”.
According to him, “by your profession, you must rise in defense of what is true and just. See the society we live in today, the signs of the end time spoken about by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24 is more obvious than ever. Everywhere we look, we find nations rising against nations because of falsehood, we find people abusing their powers. They use power and authority to intimidate the poor and vulnerable. Minority groups continue to suffer deprivation and denial. You will agree with Me that our country and indeed the world, more than ever needs so many Journalists of conscience to speak truth to power and thus correct the wrongs in the society”.
He declared peace and blessings upon the Journalists in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.It is My deepest honour and pleasure to heartily welcome you to My Divine Presence this day. I thank you for your commitment to our shared interest in voluntarily serving the public as members of the free press.
“As your patron and publisher of The New Kingdom Trumpet, I feel deeply involved in your daily struggles to give a voice to the voiceless and to promote a just and free society. I congratulate you on another global opportunity the world had a few days ago celebrated the World Press Freedom Day which brings to light the ingenuity of journalists all over the world”.
This year, he added, “pressmen around the World have been reminded of the role the Freedom of Expression plays in not only driving other freedoms but also shaping the future. I must acknowledge the innumerable sacrifice each of you seated here is making in service of the ultimate mission of a free press and your avowed commitment to the ideals that govern this profession which includes fairness, objectivity and honesty.”
He, therefore, commended them for their cooperation with Brotherhood of the Cross and Star for the past years through your support to all our events and programmes and for reporting the truth about us to the world. Your efforts are well appreciated and today, I have confirmed your blessings for remaining true to your profession and may your ink continue to drop in honour of this noble social task, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Earlier, he had commended journalists in Cross River State for the hard job of reporting the truth. In a society like ours, where those in power are likely to be given to corruption, and some private individuals well-connected to the sources of power often perceive themselves as somewhat above the law, the job of checking and reporting the truth couldn’t be more tasking”.
“This is why it is important to specially commend and bless you all for choosing to act as watchdogs to protect public interest against malpractice and create public awareness. A few of you have been imprisoned and countless others intimidated and abused over the cause of your career for simply doing your job. Such bold sacrifices in defence of society are worth celebrating, he noted”.
He urged them not to relent but keep doing good for such commendable works are pleasing to God and attract divine rewards in due course in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.Dear Pen-pushers, indeed, the world has had so much to say about freedoms. Democracies and other human institutions have continued to advance human freedoms in such commendable ways.
However, “it must be noted that some aspects of these freedoms, especially concerning the freedom to marry any gender of choice, run contrary to divine laws of God and must be checked to avert further decline and pervasion of the society. It’s inconsequential to hide under the cover of philosophical and academic arguments to deny the truth. When you find something to be true, there is no need to “balance” it”.
The Holy Father said, “for instance, do you need any other balanced view to ascertain the fact that the sun rises from the east? Most of the freedoms that human institutions proclaim today are deeply rooted in falsehood and there is no truth in them”.
Therefore, he said, “you must not turn yourselves into purveyors of falsehood. Journalists all over the world serve principally as conscience of the society. More than any other institution, the burden is essentially theirs to hold a mirror of reflection on society. Like preachers of the, you have a moral burden to promote righteousness, civility, truth and ideas that will roll back the specter of moral decadence in the society”.
