Journalists have urged politicians to embrace peace and the spirit of sportsmanship before, during and after elections as doing otherwise may throw the country into chaos.
They made their position known at the public lecture organized by the Lagos Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) which held at the Combo Hall of the Lagos Television, Agidingbi, Lagos, on Wednesday.
In his welcome remarks, the Chairman of NUJ Lagos Council, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, said the 2023 general election left Nigeria battling with more issues than it had solved, as a number of court cases are still pending against the election outcome both at the Federal and at various states Governments.
He said the theme of this year’s lecture, “Post-election Nigeria: Paths To National Restoration & Peace”, was apt, arguing that, “Nigeria has a long history of violence before and during elections, which again manifested in 2023”, and this was triggered among others by what he described as voter suppression, intimidation all of which led to voter apathy and lethargy and deliberate disenfranchisement of eligible voters.
“Though the introduction of technology has reduced the traditional rigging patterns, such as ballot box snatching and box stuffing, multiple voting, over voting and alteration of results, yet the human interference involved in the deployment of technology have made many to doubt the integrity of the 2023 election outcomes.
“At the Post-Election Review of the 2023 General Elections with Media Stakeholders recently in Lagos, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said, there were many positive things that came out of the 2023 elections in spite of many challenges,” he said.
The NUJ Chief urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make efforts to learn from the lapses of the 2023 elections for better outcome in subsequent elections and to chart a path for restoration and peace in the country.
On his part, the Chairman of the Occasion and Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Guardian Newspapers, Mr. Martin Oloja urged Nigerians to be hopeful of a better country.
“National Orientation is key for us to believe in ourselves and Nigeria. Although, the journey to total restoration may be far but we need to have faith in our country and profession,” he advised.
Oloja said Journalism remains the best profession in the world because the media is capable of calling the three arms of government (Executive, Legislature and Judiciary) to order whenever the need arises.
Oloja revealed that the major responsibility of the media is to build content for restoration, peace and not to be blown away with politricks.
He however said the media is hamstrung by the near absence of the private sector which made total reliance on the governments at both the states and the centre impossible. He said the inclement political economy is the determinant of media freedom and the freedom of the press that we all clamour may continue to be a mirage by economic considerations and the need for media managers to keep in business.
The Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Sunday Alawode, tasked journalists to be patriotic in the discharge of their duties as any story could inflame and tear the country apart.
Alawode who was the guest Speaker said, “elections should not be seen as war in Nigeria. Losers should be able to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship because if they don’t win today, they can win some other time.
“As journalists we should build a Nigeria of our own dreams that we can bequeath to our children.
“Government should be about meeting the needs of Nigerians and not for furthering personal gains,” he added.
The University don who acknowledged that Rome was not built in a day, said it will require the collective responsibility of the citizenry to restore Nigeria to a peaceful and progressive nation.
The scholar urged government to speedily tackle corruption, poverty and insecurity in order to confront some of the challenges bedeviling Nigeria.
“Nigeria needs strong institutions to move forward just as we also need to hold people accountable to the government,” Alawode explained.
He urged media owners to secure Insurance cover for journalists, as many lives have been lost on the job, leaving the family of the deceased hopeless.
General Manager, Lagos Traffic Radio, Mr. Tayo Akanle, reiterated the need for peaceful co-existence among Nigerians. “Without peace, unity and tolerance, it will be hard for us to progress as a nation,” Akanle said.
A panel of discussants comprising the President, Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Ms Maureen Chigbo; Former Controller News and Deputy Editor-in-Chief, News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Peter Dada, and Director Public Affairs, Lagos State Government, Mr. Shina Odunuga, who discussed the topic urged Nigerians to embrace peace even as they all urged professional journalists to be strict in ensuring that they do not inflame passion and set the country aflame.
Other dignitaries at the event were Mr Gbenga Onayiga, General Manager, Radio Lagos/Eko FM, Mr. Olajide Lawal, General Manager, LTV, Olori Adesola Kosoko, General Manager Traffic Radio Mr Tayo Akanle, Chairperson of NAWOJ, Dr Adeola Ekine, Chairmen of chapels making up the Lagos State Council and former NUJ National Trustee of NUJ Sylvester Okereke, and other members of the union, amongst others.