By TOM CHIAHEMEN, Abuja ‘
Media professionals in Nigeria have been advised to stop glorifying certain emergency heroes and ethnic champions whose stock in trade is to promote primordial interests to the detriment of the corporate existence of the nation.
The advice is contained in a communique issued at the end of a one-day Roundtable on “The Media and Security Challenges: The Way Forward,” organized by the Vision Center for Communication and Development Advocacy (VICCDA), in Abuja on Monday.
The event, which brought together top media professionals and some members of the civil society to discuss the issue and proffer solutions, was organized against the backdrop of the worsening insecurity in the country, according to Acting Chairman of VICCDA, Otunba Gbenga Onayiga.
The Forum also encouraged the media to channel more energy to investigative reporting as a means to not only pre-empting terrorism and banditry but also playing their oversight roles on state actors. The media is also urged to strive more to create awareness with a view to preventing conflicts.
Former spokesperson to late president Umar Yar’adua and notable columnist, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, had in a Keynote presentation, provoked serious discussion by throwing up five critical questions, including what role the media could play in ending insecurity in Nigeria.
While believing that free, independent and pluralistic media provide a platform for debate and different opinions, participants at the Roundtable cautioned the media against being misused for propaganda purposes, to incite hatred and spread rumours, thereby artificially creating tensions.
The Forum believed that finding a balance between preventing harm caused by hate speeches in particular and protecting individual expression is a challenge, though important especially in conflict situations and Journalists have to stay clear of judgmental representations and should describe reality without embellishment.
Participants further suggested that for the promotion of quality conscience journalism, journalists on assignment in crises areas must source their information from the local populace.
They noted that good journalism also requires that journalists while working to de- escalate tension in conflict situations, should ensure a concrete assessment of the situation by avoiding biases. Media professionals must be truthful and should verify all information.
While underscoring the significance of the media as an effective and integral tool for solving the problem of security challenges in the country, the Forum however, warned that lack of information can, at any stage of a conflict, make people desperate, restless and easy to manipulate.
In this regard, it frowned at the mode of reportage of certain security challenges ravaging the country and analyses that tend to glorify the insurgents by portraying their tactics and strategies as superior to those of the Military. These if not properly curtailed will continue to cause fear and insecurity in the minds of the citizens.
To this end, the Forum enjoined journalists to change the narrative by engaging in soul searching among media professionals.
It enjoined Media Unions and Associations like the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigerian (NPAN) and Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), to reach out to the Nigerian Armed Forces with a view to engaging them in the fight against terrorism and other forms of violence in the country.
The Forum believed that the war against terror is everybody’s war and thus there should be adequate synergy between the Military, the Media and other Stakeholders.
Participants further suggested that to ensure that salaries of media professionals are paid at as when due, media establishments that are not strong enough to sustain their operations should be encouraged to diversify to enable them perform optimally. This will promote excellence in journalism practice.
They advised VICCDA and other Stakeholders to work assiduously towards partnering with media organisations in building capacity of journalists to effectively bring to the fore humanitarian situations in the affected regions fairly, honestly, courageously and constructively.
The Forum acknowledges the fact that the fight against terrorism and banditry are most daunting and challenging tasks, but expresses the belief that with political will and commitment by our leaders in creating an enabling environment for independent and free press to thrive, the media could influence the right attitude by most Nigerians and this will ensure that conflicts are minimized.
Participants aligned with concerned individuals, bodies and institutions on the lack of adequate attention on the plight of the regions affected by insecurity on the national and international media landscapes. The Forum stressed the need for the media to do more at providing better understanding of this complex and fluid scene of insecurity to collectively create a measure of order and security in the affected regions and the country at large.
Accordingly, it charged media professionals to provide early warning systems in these areas and also to write stories of resilience of these local communities in their quest to contribute to the fight against insecurity.
It was also a matter of concern to Participants that banditry is fast becoming part of the daily life of the populations, giving the country the notoriety of being one of the members of club of 10 top kidnapping countries in the world and a leading one in Africa.
Participants at the RoundTable, resolved that government should adopt new approaches that will address the specific political, economic, and social challenges that encourage banditry or terrorism in general, and the potential solutions that reduce them as the most reliable way forward.
The event was attended by media professionals including the NUJ National President, Chris Isiguzo; National President, NAWOJ, Ladi Bala; Executive Director News, NTA, Muhammad Labbo; Press Secretary to the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, Sulaiman Haruna; Managing Editor, the Nation Newspapers, Yusuf Alli; Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of NATIONAL ACCORD, Tom Chiahemen; Executive Director, Nigerian Pilot, Chuks Ohuegbe; Director News, FRCN, Sani Sulaiman, Media Trust, Ahmed Shekarau; Executive Director VICCDA, Adamu Ladan and others.
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