Participants at a one-day Media Round Table on Security challenges, have urged the Government to listen to voices of reason that provide alternative options in dealing with the devastating situation of insecurity in the country and to be accommodating in dealing with the anger and frustration of the citizens.
This is as the workshop also cautioned media practitioners against 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 workshop organized by the Center for Communication and Development Advocacy (VICCDA) which attracted top media professionals and some civil society organisations, noted with regret that despite several official reassurances of responsiveness in rising to the occasion, the state of insecurity in the country is being heightened by the day, thus bringing infamy to the country.
Participants also expressed concern that banditry in the country is fast becoming part of the daily life of the populations thereby, 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.
The workshop advised government not to allow the public lose confidence in its ability to deal with the situation through unabated spates of attacks on civilian populations and therefore urged government to 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.
Participants particularly frowned at the mode of reportage of certain security challenges ravaging the country and analyses that tend to glorify insurgents by portraying their tactics and strategies as superior to those of the military.
The participants stressed that if such practices are not properly curtailed, would continue to cause fear and insecurity in the minds of the citizens.
A communique issued at the end of the workshop and signed by Otunba Gbenga Onayiga and Adamu Ladan, Acting chairman and Executive Director of VICCDA respectively, expressed concern over the worsening insecurity in the country.
The workshop with the theme; “The Media and Security Challenges, the Way Forward” urged the media to strive more to create awareness with a view to preventing conflicts just as it encouraged the media to channel more energy to investigative reporting as a means to not only pre-empting terrorism and banditry but also playing oversight roles on state actors.
The communique further states; “While believing that free, independent and pluralistic media provide a platform for debate and different opinions, Media is cautioned against being misused for propaganda purposes, to incite hatred and spread rumours, thereby artificially creating tensions.
“It is 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 at the one-day workshop also suggested that for the promotion of quality conscience journalism, journalists on assignment in crises areas must source their information from the local populace.
The workshop 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, stressing that 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 warned that lack of information can, at any stage of a conflict, make people desperate, restless and easy to manipulate.
Accordingly, participants enjoined journalists to change the narrative by engaging in soul searching among media professionals and therefore urged media Unions and Associations such as the NUJ, NGE, NPAN and 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 noted that the war against terror is everybody’s war, thus, there should be adequate synergy between the military, the media and other stakeholders.
The workshop also resolved 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.
“VICCDA and other Stakeholders should 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 align 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 stresses 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, media professionals are charged 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.
“While Stakeholders commend the various efforts of security agencies in stemming activities of gunmen in the country, they scorn at the poor response in aborting many incidents that lead to several abductions and to certain extent loss of lives and properties,” the participants said.
The communique further states; “In spite of this however, the situation calls for caution and the need to support the government to do more in finding lasting solutions to the intractable problems, and to warn against making any capital out of it.
“It is a moment for united action to defeat terror and not to do anything that could embolden the perpetrators.
“Credible sources show that the violence has affected about 21 million people in the country and more than 40,000 deaths have been recorded between 2011 and February, 2021 even as 210,000 people have been internally displaced with more than 35,000 refugees crossing the borders to Niger Republic.
“The situation may sadly worsen as the global pandemic, COVID-19 continues to ravage the world. In addition to displacement, insecurity has hampered agricultural activities and heightened the risk of acute food uncertainty in the country. Livelihoods have been disrupted; fear and insecurity among the population have increased, with IDPs and host communities competing for scarce resources such as water, land and food.
“This also has heightened protection concerns for the vulnerable-women, children and the elderly, while security, food and water sanitation and hygiene have become priority needs in the affected areas.
“It is worth noting that the effects of this on Nigeria’s sustainable development in the light of public safety, capital and investment flights as well as its negative consequences on trade, tourism and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is enormous,”” the workshop stressed.
While appreciating the fact that national politics can form an important framework in the fight against insecurity, participants called on Nigerians to unite to defeat terror rather than doing anything that could promote it.
The workshop was attended by media professionals including the NUJ National President, Chris Isiguzo, the National President, NAWOJ, Ladi Bala, Former spokesperson to late president Umar Yar’adua, Mr. Olusegun Adeniy, Executive Director News, NTA, Muhammad Labbo, Press Secretary to the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, Sulaiman Haruna, Editor-in-Chief of Forefront Media, Amos Dunia, Managing Editor, the Nation Newspapers, Yusuf Alli, Director News, FRCN, Sani Sulaiman, Media Trust, Ahmed Shekarau among others.
