Guber, Assembly Polls: Be Professional in Line of Duty, CAPPA Urges Journalists
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Ahead of the March 11 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections, the Corporate Accountability & Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged journalists to be professional in the line of their duty.
The Executive Director of CAPPA, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, gave the advice Tuesday, at a training on peaceful and non-violent elections for journalists in Rivers State.
The training, supported by the European Union (EU) delegation under the EU Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase Two (EU-SDGN II), was facilitated to tackle the issues that were observed during the presidential election and proffer solutions to a successful governorship election.
Participants at the training were sensitised to understand conflict, drivers of conflict, election and conflict-sensitive reporting, fact checking reports, electoral law, guide for media coverage of elections, newsroom culture and peace building in election reporting, among others.
In his opening remarks, Oluwafemi said: “If the media can be extremely cautious, cross check facts, be circumspect in the desire to break news, you may douse down tension in the state as the governorship election draws nearer.”
The CAPPA boss explained that the forum was a gathering to discuss with media executives and journalists in general, their roles in ensuring that elections are peaceful and violence-free.
He expressed optimism that the Saturday election will be peaceful, credible and acceptable across the country, stressing that: “The biggest task ahead of us is to ensure that Nigerians exercise their franchise in a peaceful and conducive environment.”
Speaking on the topic ‘Understanding Conflicts and Drivers of Conflicts’, Dr Tunde Akanni, a lecturer with the Lagos State University (LASU), said the media produces content for deliberation and decision making by politicians and government.
The university don stated that: “Media practitioners must not involve in a report that will instigate the people to ignorantly fight politicians who are struggling for selfish interest.”
He classified the media as a critical stakeholder in any election, adding that: “It is not advisable for the media to support crisis but support peace in the society we serve.”
Also speaking on ‘Conflict Sensitivity and Safety in Reporting of Elections: How to get it right’, Dr Lanre Arongundade, Chairman, International Press Centre, advised the participating journalists not to exaggerate what they see on the field to avoid biases.
