Date: 2018-04-10

A Veteran Broadcaster and former Director - General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Doctor Tonnie Iredia has blamed the political class for the problems the nation is presently facing.

Doctor Iredia handed down the blame in Ilorin , the Kwara State capital while featuring in a Radio Kwara personality interview programme , Playing Host . According to him , the politicians involved themselves in a game which rules they abandoned by playing the game of politics outside the rules.

The former Director - General disclosed that as we speak now, various political leaders are engaged in endorsing one man for election or the other , yet , the time for electioneering has not been declared meaning that they are already playing the games outside of the rules .

He therefore implored the political class to play the games by the rules , warning that if elections are not gotten right, the right persons would not be elected and if the right persons are not elected, the country will not be able to garner visionary leaders who can formulate policies that will transform the society.

Doctor Iredia urged Nigerian journalists to be more up and doing in the discharge of their duties as the 2019 general elections draw nearer particularly in ensuring that they do adequate follow up in the full coverage of elections at all levels and see that they put the electoral umpires on its toes .

The broadcaster urged the government to ensure proper funding of the media and enjoined the regulators of media houses to take the aspect of the welfare of media practitioners very paramount while the media should abide strictly by the Nigerian Broadcasting Code .

According to him , freedom of the press goes beyond the legal freedom as entrenched in section twenty two of the Nigerian constitution but rather, ensure that their welfare is well catered for so that that their conscience and their rights to report event correctly would not be jeopardized and also warned against ownership interference .