Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila says he is in touch with security agencies and encouraging them to deploy all their resources in finding the missing Vanguard reporter, Tordue Salem who went missing on October 13 in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila who spoke while declaring open a two-day capacity workshop for the House committee on media and public affairs jointly organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung on Monday in Abuja, said the press corps in the parliament was part of the institution and should be concerned about their wellbeing.
He said: “I do know that the Vanguard correspondent in the House of Representatives, Tordue Salem who has been missing for some weeks now is still yet to be found.
“I have been in contact with that leadership of the Press Corps and the authority that is doing this investigation since this matter came to light. I want to encourage security agencies not to relent in their effort to locate Tordue and bring him back to the House.”
Gbajabiamila commended the House committee chaired by Ben Kalu (APC, Abia) for taking the task of correcting some negative impressions about the parliament.
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“It goes to say that this committee plays an important role in the activities of the House as it is the intermediary between the House and the public. Your work goes a long way to shape perception of the House of Representatives and correct any misconception in the public sphere.
“You have a critical role in rephrasing the narrative of the public about the House of Representatives and in giving direction to the legislature and in propelling policies of government. That is why those of you who practice in the institution are referred to as the fourth estate of the realm,” he added.
Chairman of the House committee on media and public affairs, Kalu said the House will continue to uphold the freedom of speech within the ambit of the law.
“The press has been decentralised, but such is the price that we must pay for the beauty that is democracy and the exchange that we must uphold for freedom of speech- the inalienable right of every Nigerian.
“We have continued to engage with the Nigerian public through traditional and new media to clarify issues and ensure that every Nigerian can access first-hand information on legislative activities. We have worked in lockstep with all the standing committees of the House ensuring that we are, at all times, abreast of their oversight
activities to enable us adequately represent and defend the overall interest of the House.
“Only recently, Tordue Salem, a reporter for Vanguard newspapers covering the House of Representatives went missing. The media and public affairs committee under the able leadership of the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila will not rest on its oars until our own is found,” he said.
