Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has banned reporters from the Adamawa State Government House, Yola for fear of infesting employees with the dreaded coronavirus.
The embargo comes in the wake of the index case three days ago in the North East state that happened to be a member of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The patient had returned from Kano with symptoms relating to the disease.
But on Wednesday, the governor barred correspondents from the seat of power with the exception of in-house journalists.
Contacted, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Humwashi Wonosikou, stated: “Sorry o my brother, this is an order from above that no journalists must come in, you know this issue of the index case.
“Don’t worry, I have your email and WhatsApp contacts. I will forward (a) copy of ‘oga’ (governor’s) speech to you.”
However, the state NUJ has ordered the closure of its secretariat, believing that it was the surest way social distancing could be maintained among media practitioners.
In a similar fashion, the Director-General of National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, has warned governors against attacking journalists in the course of duty, noting that they remain instrumental to information dissemination during this crisis period.
Runsewe, who spoke Thursday in Abuja at a forum to distribute 8,000 face masks and hand sanitisers, noted that any act of hostility against journalists, who are also front liners in the fight against COVID-19, would only create unnecessary distractions.
He also urged politicians to desist from playing politics with the virus. Rather, he called on Nigerians across party lines to form a common force against the disease.
To curtail the spread of fake news, which is likely to cause panic among the public, the NCAC DG suggested that everyone should establish a neighbourhood watch where authentic information about the virus could easily be accessed.
