Governor Nyesom Wike has challenged journalists to demand accountability from Governors instead of giving them awards to maintain relationships or friendships.
The Rivers state Governor said this after the national leadership of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) paid him a courtesy visit at the government house in Port Harcourt on Friday October 30.
Wike in a statement released by his special assistant on media Kelvin Ebiri, also recalled times when journalists exposed ills in the society.
He said;
“What I have seen of you is that you praise us and give us award because of relationship or friendship. That’s not the way it should be. Challenge us — the people in authority — and we will sit up to our responsibilities. We will have no choice than to perform and serve the people as it should be.
“My support for you has to do with the fact that you are supposed to tell the truth of what is happening in Nigeria.
“There was a time you were exposing the ills of society. If not for you, certain things will not be known. Assume your role, grow strong again and speak out.”
Also commenting on the #EndSARS protest, Wike said;
“If when I castigated the operations of SARS you added your voice, who knows what good that would have achieved.
“Now look at what has happened. There was EndSARS protest across the country. Nobody knows how the youth were able to organise themselves without a leader.
“Up until now, intelligence can’t even know how they did it and who’s behind them. Without good intelligence, how can Nigeria even defeat Boko Haram?”