Mr Muhammad, who said this at the public presentation of Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR) news website and awards ceremony Thursday in Abuja, decried the current situation whereby journalists, who are sponsored by various state Muslim pilgrims’ welfare boards and agencies sometimes ”work at cross purposes.”
According to the NAHCON chairman, the commission intends to select journalists that will report Hajj and train them on the intricacies of covering the religious rites.
“If FIFA has to accredit journalists that report the world cup, it is absolutely necessary for the commission to accredit journalists that should cover Hajj,” he said.
Justifying the need for the accreditation, Mr Muhammad said there are reports that, ”many endanger the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia which a journalist may not be aware of.”
Mr Muhammad praised IHR for pioneering the first website in the country that is dedicated to Hajj and Umrah, hoping that the news portal will provide credible information that will counter the misinformation in the media about the yearly pilgrimage.
According to the NAHCON boss, Independent Hajj Reporters deserve financial and material support as well as support in terms of ideas from the Muslim ummah.
He also advised that IHR should not shut its doors to ideas from outside.
”Although you are the initiators of the news platform but ideas can come from anywhere. Don’t claim ownership of the website because it is for the Muslim ummah at large,’’ he said.
Speaking earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, who is the Senate Deputy Leader, praised IHR’s initiative, pointing out that the effort will be rewarding even in the hereafter.
He said although there is a marked improvement in the management of Hajj, ”the website should criticise where necessary.”
Mr Na’Allah recalled that there was a lot of deliberate misinformation that was reported in the media on Hajj exercise which the website should try and correct.
In his welcome address, the National Coordinator of IHR, Ibrahim Muhammad, said the decision to set up www.hajjreporters.com arose from the need to create a platform that will aggregate all important Hajj-related stories and to serve as a knowledge-sharing platform for all stakeholders.
According to him, Thursday’s event was not just to launch the website but to recognise, ”those who have contributed to the rise of Hajj administration, especially from adhoc annual arrangement, to a legally established institution”.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, who bagged an award for his commitment to Hajj in spite of the security challenges in his state, donated N2 million to IHR.
The governor, who was represented by his Commissionerfor Religious Affairs, Mustafa Fannarabe, also praised the initiative of a dedicated Hajj website.
The first civilian governor of Katsina state, Saidu Barda; a former Military Governor of Kano state, Ahmed Daku and Federal Capital Territory Minister, Muhammad Bello were given Life Time Awards for their contributions to Hajj affairs.
Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board got the overall prize amongst state pilgrim boards while Kaduna State got the award for the best in enlightenment and mobilisation.
Other awardees, who were honoured for their efforts towards the passage of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria Act in 2006 include a former senator, Jibril Aminu; a former member of the House of Representatives, Haruna Yerima; and Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; as well as former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu.
Other awardees include the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), recognised for ”prompt release of needed (financial) support and dedicated coverage of Hajj activities,” respectively .
Source: Premiumtimesng.com
No comments:
Post a Comment