…Says Registration with CAC gives credibility to online publishing outfit
BENIN CITY- As Edo State 2024 governorship election gets closer, the Deputy Executive Director of Civil Empowerment and Rule of Law Support Initiative, (CERLSI), Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku has advised online media practitioners to ensure that their centre of reportage focus on the issues concerning physical and human infrastructure like roads, health care, education and security of lives and property .
MajiriOghene similarly urged online journalists to ensure that their online outfit is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with the necessary requirements such as registered address, board of directors, etc. so as to ensure that any litigation that may come, will have the full legal backing.
MajiriOghene gave the advised during the maiden seminar on the Essentials of Writing a Freedom of Information Letter to public and private institutions in Nigeria.
Welcoming participants to the maiden seminar on the essentials of writing a freedom of information letter to public and private institutions in Nigeria, the Deputy Executive Director of CERLSI noted that there were reports that online and mainstream journalist had difficulties with accessing government information, and this is in spite of the reported interest of most subnational governments like Edo in the Open Government Partnership, OGP, thematic areas of zero tolerance to corruption, citizen participation in governance and access to information.
While emphasizing the key role that journalists, especially online and freelance journalists can play in interrogating infractions in governance, MajiriOghene advised that to do this within the ambit of the law, and avoid issues related to fake news, misinformation, disinformation and unnecessary media censorship with responsible reportage of news-related stories and investigations, this FOI seminar is apt becomes relevant
He subsequently called online and freelance journalist to strategically positioned themselves so as to engage state actors to make requests that will lead to promoting, free, fair and credible elections in Edo state and Nigeria at large.
