The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has taken steps to ensure the safety of its members who would be involved in covering the forthcoming 2015 General Elections in the country.
The President of the union, Mr Mohammed Garba, said this on Tuesday when he received the EU Election Monitoring team led by its head of Media, Mr Marek Mracka, in Abuja.
Garba said that the safety of journalists during elections must be guaranteed.
"Every reporter that would be involved in the elections, must be insured because we have discussed the issue with the media organisations."
He added that the union was collaborating with international organisations such as the UNDP and the U.S. embassy for the training of reporters on the successful coverage of the elections.
He said the training was aimed at ensuring that journalists adhered to professional ethics and the Nigerian media code of election coverage.
The NUJ president told the visiting team that the union raised the issue of balance and objective analysis of candidates vying for the elective offices in the forthcoming elections.
"On the issue of balanced reportage, the media should be able to provide equal treatment and ensure a level playing ground for Nigerians to have more knowledge about their candidates."
He maintained that the media played an important role for the attainment of Nigeria's independence, adding that the industry would also play a critical role for the success of 2015 elections.
Responding, Mracka said that the visit was aimed at creating a synergy between the NUJ and the EU Elections Monitoring team during the elections.
He said the team was in the country to observe the conduct of the election as well as the situation of the media in the coverage of the elections.
He also said that the team visited NUJ to ascertain the safety measures being put in place to ensure the safety of journalists while covering the elections
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