He also urge the media to be sensitive to Nigeria’s current situation while discharging their duties.

Buhari gave this advice through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Sunday to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day, observed globally every May 3.

The statement titled was “President Buhari urges responsible freedom on world press freedom day.”

“On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, observed globally every May 3, President Muhammadu Buhari recommits to freedom of the press, and urges media professionals to wield freedom responsibly, and without licentiousness.

“While celebrating the landmark day with the media, the President notes that freedom of the press is an irreducible minimum in a democracy that would flourish, adding that freedom must, however, be used responsibly.

“That everything is permitted does not mean that there are no rules of correctness, particularly in a polity seriously challenged as ours now.

“The media must be sensitive to what we are going through as a country, and anything that would exacerbate the situation, and further inflame passions and emotions, should be avoided.

“Licentious freedom, the President says, is different from freedom with responsibility, and charges the Nigerian media to embrace the latter, rather than the former.

“On the part of government, President Buhari pledges greater cooperation with the media to discharge its duties, in line with the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, ‘Information as a Public Good.’

“He charges those who manage information for government to do everything in public interest, while also encouraging the media to use the Freedom of Information Act available to make its jobs easier.

“The President submits that it is very vital to have access to reliable information in an era of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, all to cause discord in society. ”

Adeyanju made the appeal via his Twitter handle, while condemning the imposition of fine worth millions of naira on AIT, Channels and Arise TV.

Recall that the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, had fined the above listed media houses over their coverage of the #EndSARS protest.

NBC had tagged the media houses coverage as unprofessional.

Condemning the sanction, Adeyanju of the Concerned Nigerians urged the NUJ to avoid federal government’s events for two weeks.

“I appeal to the NUJ to boycott all Federal Government events and activities in the country for 2weeks in protest against the NBC fine of AIT, ARISE and CHANNELS.

“This should be the irreducible minimum. Don’t be vocal only against FFK and scarred of Buhari. #EndSARS,” he tweeted.

At the first and second gates, journalists were harassed by the Police, who took advantage of ‘a not clear cut’ directive from the information unit of the National Assembly, DaliyPost reports.

There was a near scuffle with the Police when members of the Senate Press Corps demanded to know if there was an instruction to stop journalists from getting into the complex.

At a point, a Deputy Commissioner of Police attached to the National Assembly in company of his men threatened to beat up a female journalist when he felt his orders were ignored, having told them to disperse.

Journalists who are members of the Senate and House of Representatives Press Corps are the accredited pressmen that cover proceedings.

Some have spent three to four hours struggling to enter without any clear directive from the information unit as to what should be done to allow them entry.

More worrisome is the conflicts of directives from the information unit, which gave an instruction only to change it afterward, leaving the security men and staff of Sergeant at Arms confused.

Initially, information filtered in from the Director of information that names of media organizations present should be compiled only for the directive to be changed, and up till the time of filing this report, journalists have not been allowed into the NASS.