Aliyu warns Daily Trust reporter over story

Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu

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Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, yesterday warned the Daily Trust reporter in the state over a report on the five-year old Three Arms Zone project of his administration, telling him to be “careful”.

The governor who was speaking in Minna at the opening ceremony of a meeting of representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations from the North, alleged that Daily Trust as a newspaper was inclined to the All Progressives Congress (APC) adding that, at the peak of an election period, the paper would instruct its reporters to vilify the PDP government in order to impede its electoral chances.
The governor further alleged that in 2011, the former correspondent of the paper in Niger State was “forced to resign” after refusing to file bad reports about the PDP government in the state, though, he admitted that he was not suggesting resignation for the current reporter.
“It happened in 2011  when a correspondent of the Daily Trust was instructed to find bad things in the government of Niger State so that the CPC would win the election.  In fact, it led to the correspondent resigning from the newspaper. I am not saying Hamagam should resign but he should be careful with all of us, there will be a day after the elections,” he said.
He accused the reporter of using a bad picture which he said was taken about four years ago, saying, “Go and see the roads, go and see the buildings that are coming there and we have not finished.”
The governor who viewed the recent report on his Three Arms Zone project as a direct attack on his government, added: “Enmity should not be seen as a direct thing. This is a political process, you must be fair in accusation, in your abuse. There is a day after the elections”.
Besides the heads of the NGOs from the North, other dignitaries present at the occasion included the state’s Head of Service Khadi Kuta, the Commissioner for Agriculture Prof. Kuta Yahaya and Fisheries, Dr. Isa Vatsa.  
Reacting to the allegations however, the Editor-in-Chief of Media Trust, publishers of Trust newspapers, Malam Mannir Dan Ali, said the newspaper does not take sides and only reports what is on the ground.
“We do not ask reporters to write ‘’bad’’ on anything. We can recall that one of our former reporters who was transferred out of Niger State after reporting from there for several years, resigned voluntarily and joined the media team of the governor and is still working with him”, he said.