Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammad has
dismissed fears expressed in certain quarters that the 2015 general
elections may lead to a possible break-up of Nigeria.
The Minister
gave the advice in Abuja in the course of declaring open the 45th
meeting of the National Council on Information with the theme: Strategic
Information Management for Credible and Peaceful Elections- an event
populated by Information Commissioners, heads of media organizations,
NUJ, RATAWO, NPC, NPCN and other stakeholders in the media.
He
charged the Council to work towards eliminating hate speeches, violent
languages and incitement to violence in their programmes, news and
commentaries to ensure peace and national cohesion during and after the
elections as they prepare and supervise political discourse leading to
the general elections.
“As public information managers, we must
strive to build understanding, while dispelling misconceptions,
suspicion, and fear. The 2015 general elections are not about war, and
Nigeria is not about to break up. We are one country and will remain so
after the 2015 elections,” he stated.
Harping on the need for
balance, fairness and objectivity in news reportage, Muhammad frowned at
interference by some owners of media houses in the operations of the
media to further their political interest and shut out the opposition. Hear
him, “I am not oblivious of the maxim that who pays the piper dictates
the tune. This comes into bold relief on occasions when some public
information managers black out stories about opponents of the government
in power in the environment. Sometimes state-run media decline to
accept adverts from the opposition, even when such promotional materials
are fully paid for.”
The
Minister therefore called for change of attitude among some media
managers and strict adherence to the Code of Conduct to guard against
rancour and acrimony in the electioneering. He equally directed the
National Broadcasting Commission to sanction stations found infringing
on the Broadcasting Code. “Public information managers must also
remain vigilant about attempts by some politicians to manipulate them.
Elections are not just about politicians. Elections also involve crucial
questions about our collective future, and in whose hands the
electorate would like to commit. It is important, therefore, that as we
nurture our democracy through periodic elections, we should attempt to
steer political discourse to issues that have potentially meaningful
impact for the electorate,” he cautioned. The Minister further
charged the information managers to complement the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) in voter education to ensure the overall
success of the elections.
In a message, INEC Chairman, Prof.
Attahiru Jega, stressed that security remained a challenge ahead of the
Commission preparatory to the general elections. The INEC
Chairman, who was represented by the National Commissioner Information
and Voter Education Committee, Dr. Chris Imoga, decried the situation
whereby the Commission is being joined in court cases instituted by
aspirants claiming irregularities in the conduct of party primaries,
saying that political parties should always promote internal democracy
and spare the Commission from needless litigations.
Jega commended
the success recorded in the distribution of the Permanent Voters’ Cards
across the country, and sought the partnership of the Media in seeing to
the overall success of the general elections.
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