The Niger State government has debunked a story that its head, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, was flown by helicopter from a traffic gridlock on the Abuja – Kaduna expressway.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mary Noel Berje, described the Monday report on a television station that Sani Bello was air-lifted due to traffic gridlock as misleading, malicious and false.
She notes that the media house acted in error by not only relying on hearsay but failed to adhere to the core value of objective journalism, by not reaching out to crosscheck the story before airing it.
“His Excellency, Niger state governor Abubakar Sani Bello was never airlifted contrary to reports that emanated from Arise TV and trended by other media, he rather waited patiently in the traffic.”
She demanded an immediate retraction and apology for the embarrassment caused the Governor.
“Arise TV is among the leading broadcast (stations) and as such should not be associated with this kind of brazen misconduct. I demand immediate retraction and apology from Arise TV to my boss, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, for the malicious report.
“By this singular act of professional misconduct, Arise TV opened the flood gate to other media to follow in the error.
“No society strives without robust media engagements. However, journalists must observe due diligence in the discharge of their duties to avoid doing damage to hard earned reputations”, she noted.
She maintained that the Governor’s door was wide open for journalists to crosscheck their facts before going to the press.
