2023: No democracy can develop in the absence of peace -NUJ President

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The president Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Chris Isiguzo has urged the media to be more committed to peace while reporting 2023 general elections, saying  Democracy will not develop without peace. 

Isiguzo spoke at the Training Workshop for North west Journalists, organised by the Center for Democracy and Development-CDD in collaboration with INEC, NUJ on Conflict Sensitive Reporting and the 2023 General Elections.

According to Isiguzo the workshop was to prepare the media for the onerous task ahead of the election year.

The NUJ president was represented by the national consultant of the union, Mr Amos Duniya and editor-in-chief ForeFront Magazine.

“The topic is very important at this time, given the fact that political Actors in Nigeria consider elections as a do or die affair. It is therefore auspicious for us as Media Professionals to brainstorm”

According to him, in whatever Journalists should report, it is very necessary to take the issue of peace as a cardinal point and take into consideration the need to be careful so that areas that are already fragile do not explode or implode.

“Peace is a basic requirement in a democracy. No dernocracy can develop in the absence of peace” he said.

He stressed that its inevitable to completely eliminate crises and conflicts from our society, adding that it is important if deliberate efforts are made toward conflict resolution and peace building.

“As Journalists, we are expected to develop a thorough, understanding of the elections and the electoral process, an understanding of conflicts and convey these to citizens in a way that reflect the truth in all their complexities”.

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He maintained that the proper foundation established by Journalists will provide citizens with the opportunities they require to make informed judgments about issues involved and perhaps help thegovernment in taking meaningful decisions.

“The role of the media in peace promotion or conflict escalation has been heightened by a number of factors which include ownership and funding, editorial policy and the regulatory agencies”.

He maintained that Journalists have contributed to the process of democratic sustainability in Nigeria in the past 23 years or thereabout, therefore they should also be interested in its future.

“The 2023 general election is important to all journalists especially as it will further stabilise our democracy and strengthen the democratic culture in Nigerian.”

The NUJ President said media should be more committed to improving the ethical standard of news reportage during elections. 

“They must ensure that they undertake their professional duties within the ambit of the Electoral Law and other regulations. Professionally, they are required to improve their news judgment as it affects elections and election related issues”.

“Journalists, as a matter of priority must always beam their searchlights on the Election Management Body, INEC to ensure that it is impartial and competent, that it embraces transparency and inclusivity in its composition and mandate in order to discharge its duties effectively”.

He said Journalists should inform the public of how effectively the politicians have performed and help to hold them to account.

He explained that media plays a major role in keeping the citizenry abreast of current events and raising awareness of various issues in any society. 

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“Journalists in Nigeria should work towards the advancement of the right of freedom of expression, access to information, freedom of the press, media independence, conflict transformation and peace building “.

The NUJ president hoped that participants will make proper use of the training opportunity to ensure that a level playing field is provided for all political actors and ensure that peoples’ votes will count through a highly professional management of news by joumalists.

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