BREAKING NEWS, Media
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THE Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, has expressed disappointment over the recent conduct of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, computer-based examinations which led wide condemnation and protests by candidates.
Rising from its first quarterly standing committee meeting of the year held in Abuja, the NGE described the JAMB issue as a national embarrassment capable of truncating the destinies of future leaders. It, therefore, implored the government to immediately halt the approval of centres that lacked the capacity to ensure seamless conduct of such examinations.
Similarly, the Guild called on the government to adopt very strong policies that would protect the rights of children, and in particular under-age girls, in the light of the rising cases of abductions and abuse of minors across the country.
Furthermore, the NGE warned that the current economic challenges facing the country had made the need to diversify the Nigerian economy more compelling and urged 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.
Besides, it also raised concerns about the media industry saying that “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.”
Finally, in the release signed by Garba Deen Mohammad, president and Mary Atolagbe, assistant secretary, the NGE acknowledged the recent changes in the status of its leadership and unanimously agreed on a handover plan that would culminate in a change of baton at its next standing committee meeting.
— Mar 21, 2016 @ 12:00 GMT
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