The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will feature as guest speaker in the first edition of the Editors’ Forum on the 2023 general elections organized by the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE to thoroughly interrogate the democratic landscape.
The event which holds holds on Tuesday, September 13 at Colonnades Hotel, 21 Alfred Rewane Road, Ikoyi, Lagos by 6 pm will enable the candidate entertain questions from editors on his policies, programmes, as well as the manifesto of his party ahead the 2023 general elections.
This is contained in a statement by Mustapha Isah, President and Iyobosa Uwugiaren, General Secretary of the NGE, adding that the forum was borne out of the need for the “media to put all the political actors and other stakeholders on their toes and provide the electorate with useful information to enable them make informed decisions before, during and after the 2023 general elections”.
The NGE said: “One of the fundamental issues that featured prominently during our Editors’ Training Workshops and Town Hall Meetings, held across the six geo- political zones early this year, with the theme: ’Media And The Task of Consolidating Nigeria’s Democracy’, was the need for Editors to thoroughly interrogate the democratic landscape.
“This comprises the political actors: the electoral body, the candidates for elections, the security agencies, the political observers and the electorate , ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“The whole idea is for the media to put all the political actors and other stakeholders on their toes and provide the electorate with useful information to enable them make informed decisions before, during and after the 2023 general elections. Letters have been sent to many political actors to be part of this engagement.
“To kick start the conversation, we wish to invite all members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors to participate in the first edition of the Editors’ Forum on the 2023 general elections … The Guild believes that the forum offers candidates an opportunity to engage media leaders on details of their plans and programmes if elected into into office.
Meanwhile, Atiku has stated that Climate change is real following the flooding that has followed torrential downpours in towns and villages in Nigeria – like other places around the globe.
According to him, the damage that has been occasioned on account of the floods are troubling while social facilities like schools and hospitals have been impacted adding that it may be safe to say, however, that no one carries the burden of these floods like our farmers.
In a statement signed by him, “Media reports abound of swathes of farmlands and food crops being washed away. The consequence of these losses by our farmers will be felt by all of us. Any hope of a bumper harvest is now diminished. This will further add to misery in our towns and villages and in our cities as food prices continue to soar.
“I share in the pains of the victims of these flooding incidents, including communities that their local healthcare centers, markets and schools have been destroyed. Or, even individuals who have been displaced. I also condole with those who have lost their loved ones.
“Therefore, I urge governments at all levels to unveil a special humanitarian assistance programme to provide immediate succour to the affected communities. These unfortunate incidents should be a wake up call to the urgency of our responsiveness to the issues of climate change and global warming.
“It is a clarion call that non-governmental organizations must equally harken to and place the focus of their advocacy on sensitizing the vulnerable public on how to manage and mitigate disasters of global warming”.
