A group of media executives and civil society organisations yesterday in Abuja urged the Federal Government to end insecurity.
They made the call at a roundtable discussion on ‘The Media and Security Challenges: The Way Forward”, organised by the Vision Centre for Communication and Development Advocacy (VICCDA).
This is as a former Presidential Spokesman and currently the Chairman of ThisDay Newspaper Editorial Board, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi urged the Nigerian media to begin the de-escalation of insecurity and other violent crisis in the country through the nature of their reportage.
Adeniyi charged the media to endeavour to understand the real issues of various insecurity in the country before discharging their task of informing the public.
Others who spoke at the roundtable include the President of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Chris Isiguzo; Acting Chairman of VICCDA, Otunba Gbenga Onayiga and other media executives.
Adeniyi, who stated that people are angry everywhere in the country due to the devastating activities of banditry, kidnapping and other rising spates of criminality, said that journalists before writing their reports should ask themselves, ‘what can I do to help de-escalate the crisis?’
He also warned against telling only one-sided story, adding that instead of dwelling on negatives of the crisis, they should highlight instances of resilience and other inspiring human angles in conflict.
Speaking earlier, the President of the NUJ, Comrade Chris Isiguzo, decried the worsening security situation in the country, saying it was threatening national peace and development.
He urged the federal government to rise to the occasion of insecurity challenges facing the country, urging the government to do more in protecting lives and property to ensure unity and development in the country.
He said, “We are not going to leave security in the hands of the government alone, but it does not in any way mean the government shouldn’t play it is role in securing lives and property of the citizens.
“Intelligence gathering cannot be left in the hands of security agencies alone, we need to join hands together. We are going to have workable strategies that will assist the federal government in curbing insecurity in the nation.”
Isiguzo advised journalists in the country to communicate in such a way that the security challenges would be surmounted by government instead of worsening the situation.
On his part, Acting Chairman VICCDA, Otunba Gbenga Onayiga, said that the dialogue comes at a decisive moment in proffering solutions to assist the federal government in curbing the negative effects of insecurity.
He said, “We needed to call top journalists for us to put heads together to see what we can do to salvage the current insecurity situation. Because of the responsibility given to us by the constitution, we will see to it that we deliver responsible reportage.
“We are here to proffer solutions as media practitioners to mitigate and curb the negative effects of the current security situation facing the country currently. Our vision is to have a vibrant voice for the society and a mission to train, sensitize and promote accountability.”
Other speakers at the event urged Nigerians, the media and relevant security agencies to go for peace and security rather than strife and conflict.”
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