By Daniel Obaje
Mr Musikilu Mojeed, the President of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, has reaffirmed the institute’s mandate to protect press freedom in Nigeria.
Mojeed spoke in an interview on the sidelines of the opening of the IPI Nigeria Press Freedom Hub in Abuja.
He noted that in its 70 years of existence, IPI had been non-partisan and had continued to speak for independent journalism and the safety of journalists.
He said IPI’s commitment to training dated back to 1972 when it founded the Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ).
“The core mandate of IPI every single day is to protect journalists, protect free speech, protect press freedom, and ensure that journalists all over the world are safe,” he said.
” Journalists in this country should be confident that this is a safe place for them.
” If every other thing fails, this institute will not fail here,” he said.
He noted that with support from partners like the MacArthur Foundation, the institute had consistently trained journalists on their rights, safety and ethical journalism.
He explained that the new hub would create a safe space for journalists to document complaints and seek help for psychological issues.
“Once you operate by those codes, if there is a problem, we will come to your aid.
“We want to be sure that you are just operating in line with global best practices and in line with the code of our practice of journalism,” he said.
He clarified that IPI’s defence had always been based on moral strength and professional conduct rather than mere certification, warning against acts like blackmail.
“As long as you are ethical, whether you are a blogger or you are a journalist or you are an ordinary Nigerian, we will try our best for you,” he said.(NAN)