Nigeria media has been charged to take up the responsibility of uniting the nation at this critical time of insecurity in the country.
National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Comrade Chris Isiguzo said this at a press conference in Abuja.
He maintained that the media must rise to the challenge of the moment and ensure that Nigeria remained a United entity as it navigates the challenge of insecurity.
This he said informed the theme of the conference “The Media, Insecurity and National Unity” billed in Port Harcourt next week.
He said the government also must as a duty ensured that it took up its constitutional role of ensuring the nation remained safe and by protecting the people and property.
His words: “The Union is perturbed that the national politics is seeking to divide the country and the Media should brace up to unite the country. Similarly, terrorism and banditry should be fought relentlessly and the Media must lead the fight against these evils.
“The responsibility of government is primarily to protect life and property of its citizens and therefore it will be disastrous to allow citizens to lose confidence in its ability to deal with the situation.
“Nigeria’s ranking as one of the members of the club of 10 top kidnapping countries in the world and a leading one in Africa is a source of concern for the Union especially as violence in the country has affected millions of Nigerians.
“Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have so far crossed into neighbouring West African Countries as refugees and the situation is daily being aggravated by lack of adequate response from the government.
“Economic well-being of Millions of Nigerians has been affected as agricultural activities have been suspended because of inadequate security. There is a clear and obvious risk of acute food insecurity in the country.
“The thousands of Internally Displaced Persons especially in the North East and Central Nigeria has reached alarming proportions, even as these displaced Nigerians continue to compete for scarce resources such as water, land and food.
“There are protection concerns majorly for the vulnerable- women, children and the elderly, while water sanitation and hygiene have become priority needs in the affected areas.”
According to him, the theme of this Conference: The Media, Insecurity and National Unity is timely because of the pivotal role of the media as an effective tool for addressing Issues of National Unity and Insecurity.
He noted that “while we concede the fact that, the fight against terrorism and banditry is extremely difficult, we believe however that the media can contribute immensely in this regard.
“There is, therefore, the need to come together as professionals to look for how Government can be properly guided in creating an enabling environment for free press to thrive and serve as a catalyst in influencing the right attitude by all Nigerians.”
The National President noted that such a move by the professional can minimize or even help in defeating terrorism and banditry in the country.
According to him, speakers at the conference are Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State will officially declare the Conference open while Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu will deliver the keynote address.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed will speak on Media Against Insecurity: Upholding Ethical Standards. A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, OCJ Okocha, SAN will chair the conference, among other notable Speakers.
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