Clerk walks out journalists from budget defence session

The Clerk to the Senate Committee on Special Duties, Kabir Yaba Umar, on Friday walked out journalists from the venue of budget defence session.

The clerk said it was the directive from the Chairman of the committee on North-East Development Commission and the National Commission For refugees, Migrants and IDPs, that no journalist should be allowed into the session unless from NTA and AIT.

On Friday, Umar had extended an invitation to chairman, senate correspondent chapel, to select three journalist that would cover the event, but the chairman clearly explained that no accredited journalist will be excluded.

The Journalists from various media organisations got to the venue to cover the two events at Senate Committee Room 211 by 2pm and 4pm, but the clerk chased them away.

The clerk approached the reporters and ordered them to leave in the full glare of the Chairman, Senator Yusuf Yusuf, and other members of the panel.

“Go and write whatever you want to write I have right to determine who should be allowed into the budget defence session or otherwise.

“I have already told your colleagues who had been here before you that you guys are not wanted here. I have the directive of the Chairman to do what I’m doing. Go ahead and write whatever you want to write,” he said.

The action of the clerk had clearly contradicted the promise by the senate president that the media would not be barred from covering budget defence at the various Senate committees.