29th November, 2010
Over 29 journalists who cover the Lagos State House of Assembly, LAHA have boycotted the lawmakers’ function over their disregard for time and maltreating pressmen.
The journalists also threatened to avoid reporting the Assembly’s activities for two weeks if the situation continued.
Their action came as a result of the way they were abandoned at a recent event organised by the House last week.
The reporters, who work for different media organisations, were conveyed to Lekki Peninsula Resort, venue of the event, only to realise that the lawmakers were not there.
“We were told by the Information Unit that the three-day event would begin in the morning and we were asked to converge at the Assembly’s complex by 10:00 am for onward movement to the venue,†one of the reporters said.
Alausa Rhythms further learnt that the reporters, after spending about three hours without any of the lawmakers in sight, decided to find out what was happening only to be told that the event was billed to begin between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
It was further learnt that as a result of their anger, they decided not to listen to the pleas of senior officers who later tried to intervene.
“You can imagine how they just came and dumped us here. They have always treated us as if we do not have what to or have things to do with our time,†a reporter said.
The journalists covering the Assembly had always complained that the lawmakers never kept to time whenever they organised events.
In fact, they had become used to the constant apology from the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, whenever an event organised by the House was to begin.
It was also learnt that the journalists were not happy at the late sittings of the lawmakers for deliberations on issues of the State.
The lawmakers who sit three times a week, often adjourn till 10:00 am only for them to begin sittings at between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm. They sometimes begin sittings at 5:00 pm thereby frustrating the journalists’ adherence to timeliness which is a basic rule in the profession.
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