Concluding its first quarterly Standing Committee meeting at
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja at the weekend, the Nigerian Guild of
Editors (NGE) has urged the Federal Government to introduce strong policies to protect
rights of children, especially the girl-child, reports ITRealms.
This is coming as NGE also condemned unequivocally the
increasing case of abductions and abuse of minors across the country.
In a communique made available to ITRealms at the end of
meeting and endorsed by the outing President Garba Deen Mohammad and assistant
general secretary, Mary Atolagbe, the Guild in a five-point statement, noted
that the current economic challenges facing the country has made the need to
diversify the Nigerian economy more compelling and urges government to quickly
evolve very clear and productive policies on mining, as well as make
agriculture more attractive through the provision of soft loans and other
incentives that would facilitate the development of the agricultural sector.
ITRealms also reports that the Guild expressed disappointment
over the poor conduct of the last JAMB computer-based examinations, describing
it as a national embarrassment capable of truncating the destinies of future
leaders.
“The Guild, therefore, implores government to immediately
halt the approval of centres that lack the capacity to ensure seamless conduct
of such examinations,” part of the communique read.
NGE further notes that with concern that the media industry,
like most other sectors, is suffocating under the prevailing economic
challenges, which poses a threat to the survival of traditional media in
particular and credible information dissemination. It therefore asks the
government to review policies that impede the operations of the media in order
to sustain democracy and avoid job losses.
The Guild also acknowledged the recent changes in the status
of its leadership and unanimously agrees on a handover plan that will culminate
in a change of baton at its next Standing Committee Meeting.
+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms)
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