Wole Ayodele in Jalingo
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has condemned in strong terms Sunday’s attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) office in Ebonyi State by yet-to-be-identified arsonists.
The union warned that the state of attacks on INEC facilities across the country, if not quickly tackled, is capable of adversely affecting the conduct of the 2023 general election.
The President of the union, Chris Isiguzo, stated this in Gombe on Tuesday at the opening of a two-day capacity building workshop for journalists and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the North-east zone on ‘Conflict Sensitive-Reporting, 2023 General Election and Countering Fake News’ organized by Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in conjunction with NUJ and INEC.
Isiguzo described the development as totally unacceptable, especially at a time Nigerians are preparing for a crucial election, just as he charged security agencies to rise to the occasion by ensuring adequate security for officials and facilities of the electoral body.
According to him, “I want to condemn the recent arson attack on INEC facility in Ebonyi State. This is totally unacceptable especially coming at a time Nigerians are preparing for a crucial election.
“I want to once more appeal to security agencies to up their game by providing adequate security for INEC officials and their facilities across the country. If there is any time the election management body and media professionals need adequate security, it is now. Anything short of this would adversely affect the 2023 general election.”
Isiguzo, who delivered a paper on ‘The Role of Media in the Conduct of Peaceful Elections’, charged media professionals to take the issue of peace as a cardinal point and ensure that issues and areas that are already volatile do not lead to an explosion or implosion.
“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.The proper foundation established by journalists will provide citizens with the opportunities they require to make informed judgments about issues involved and perhaps help the government in taking meaningful decisions,” Isiguzo said.
He however urged media professionals to brace up for the challenges ahead, especially since they are expected to participate in the process of social reconstruction and democratisation by providing a positive and participatory forum for the exchange of ideas, democracy and nation building.
He stressed that journalists, while discharging their duties, should never attempt to deviate from the ethics of the profession, just as he tasked them to maintain the highest possible standards in their practice.
