Media must remain courageous, steadfast in calling govt out— Archbishop Abegunrin 

…charges media against inciting fear, conflict 

The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, Most Reverend Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin, has charged the media to continue to show courage and remain steadfast in their calls on the government to end insecurity around the country. 

Archbishop Abegunrin gave the charge on Wednesday while addressing a press conference to mark the World Communication Week 2025 with the theme: “Share with Gentleness the Hope that is in Your Hearts”, held at the Pastoral Institute Hostel, Bodija, Ibadan. 

He decried the resurgence of insecurity around the country, saying it was sad and an indication that either government was not listening and (or) money voted for security is not going to where it should go.

He described the media as a powerful tool through which we will continue to call out the government and make the necessary noise about these issues for the government to do the needful. 

“Media must continue to make noise about these things. Do not let them intimidate you. Media must continue to show courage and fight against insurgency,” Archbishop Abegunrin said. 

However, the cleric charged the media to project positivity and hope in their reportage, saying “if the state is in coma, you and I have the duty to wake it up through our words, our actions, and activities.”

While also advising that the media should engage with open mind, he said this year’s theme of World Communications Day “is a profound call to all who communicate – whether through the spoken word, the written page, the airwaves, or digital screens – to speak not with harshness or hostility, but with reverence, compassion, and deep hope. 

“It challenges us to make our communication and expression of the hope that Christ gives and a testimony to the peace He confers in turbulent times.”

Speaking on the role of the Church in communication, he said: “We are living in a world overwhelmed by noise, division, and anxiety. In such a context, the Church is called to be a calm and courageous voice – echoing the eternal truth of the Gospel.

“As communicators, our mission is not merely to inform, but to inspire; not only to speak, but to listen with empathy; not to incite fear or conflict, but to foster hope and understanding.”

He said the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, is “promoting a culture of truth, peace and dialogue in both traditional and digital media,” and said the local church also recognised the remarkable changes technology was bringing to the way people now live and communicate. 

“From artificial intelligence to social media, we are witnessing a transformation that calls for discernment. As Pope Francis reminds us, technology must serve humanity, not the other way round. Communication should never lose its heart. It must remain deeply human-rooted in truth, guided by charity and anchored in justice.”

Activities to mark the 2025 World Communications Week in the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan would continue on Saturday with a training for Parish media teams; while a thanksgiving Mass will come up on Sunday at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Oke Padre, Ibadan where the Archbishop will bless work tools of media practitioners, and a reception.

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