Ambassador Abigun said Liberia is one of the countries in Africa and the world at large that creates the platform and promote 'press freedom' and as such journalists should see themselves as partners and not enemies of government.

Speaking at a three-day journalism skills development workshop organized by the Press Union of Liberia in collaboration with the West Africa Journalists Association (WAJA) in Monrovia, the Nigerian Ambassador told journalists to be responsible and patriotic in the performance of their duties and report stories that will foster national unity and reconciliation in post-war Liberia.

Ambassador Abigun, however, applauded the Liberian media for the level of courage and endurance over the past years despite constraints and difficult circumstances faced in the performance of their duties.

 Also speaking at the close of the training, the Acting Program Coordinator of the West Africa Journalists Association (WAJA), Ndey Tapha Sosseh, said her organization seeks to provide journalists and media professionals with the technical skills to enhance professionalism and to enable them practice to cope with the new changes in information and communication technologies.

She said WAJA also intends to promote high standards of ethical journalism in West Africa, promote respect of freedom of the press and free expression by political leaders, economic lobbyists and other groups of influence; provide media managers the necessary competences in business management as well as support the emergence of critical mass of high level professionals necessary to promote a culture of media of excellence in the sub-region.

“As the umbrella institution for media practitioners and institutions in West Africa, WAJA also seeks to build on the capacity of existing media institutions and personnel both in terms of human resources and infrastructural development in the form of promoting in-house training, organizing short term basic journalism and skills improvement courses to cater for the capacity deficits notably the necessary required skills to report on specific development and day-to-day issues of concern to the West African citizenry,” Madam Ndey Tapha Sosseh noted.

Also speaking Press Union of Liberia (PUL) President Peter Quaqua admonished journalists to utilize the training acquired and improve their writing and broadcasting skills in the country.

The training brought together over 30 journalists from across Liberia and was facilitated by Samuel K. Dwukor, Aaron Kollie, K. Abdullai Kamara, Anthony Selmah and Teppitapia K. Sannah, among others.