Abia Commissioner blames FG for popularity of non state actors in S’East
By Steve Oko
Commissioner for Information, Abia State, Dr. Eze Chikamnayo, has blamed the swelling popularity of non state actors in the South East on the inability of the federal government to designate bandits terrorsists and treat them as such.
He regretted that bandits including herdsmen had unleashed mayhem, pain and sorrow across communites in the zone yet the federal government had not come down hard on them.
Chikamnayo who spoke during a workshop on the Role of the Media in Combating Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Nigeria organised by the Nigerian Press Council in collaboration with Forte and Henze Ltd for media practitioners from South East, regretted that bandits have been treated with kid gloves.
He urged the federal government to summon the courage to add bandits on the list of terrorist groups in Nigeria and ‘teach them in the language they understand’.
” Those who invade our communites, destroy our crops and farmlands and if you challenge them they kill you; such people are not bandits, they are terrorists and should be designated as such and dealt with.
” The inability of the federal government to d designate and treat killer herdsmen and bandits as terrorists is the reason non-state actors and gaining popularity in the South East”.
Chikamnayo, however, charged media practitioners to be responsible in their reportage in a way their reports would promote peace and national security.
He also challenged Journalists to constructively engage the various arms of government if terrorism and insecurity must end in Nigeria.
Chikamnayo who sympathised with media practitioners over the high risk they are exposed to in the discharge of their duties advised them to place national interest above other considerations in their reportage.
He further noted that the media have pivotal role to play in ending insecurity in Nigeria, and urged the practitioners to practice responsible journalism.
In a remark, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Press Council, Francis Nwosu advised media practitioners not to publish “facts that will jeopardize public peace”.
He urged them to use their common sense in the overall interest of society.
” The basic interest in your reportage is public good”, he said, arguing that it makes no sense setting the country on fire in a bid to report facts.
He however explained that the truth must not be suppressed but responsibily conveyed.
Presenting a paper entitled : ” The Role of the Media in Maintaining Balance Between Public Rights to Know and National Interest”, Dr Jude Ogbodo of the Department of Mass Communication, Ebonyi State University, advised the media to watch their back by being self aware of what they do.
He also advised media practitioners not to play into the hands of terrorists by giving them undue publicity that could undermine national interest.
According to him publicity is the oxygen that gives life to terrorism, hence the need for Journalists not to glorify terrorists in the name of reporting their activities.
He advised Journalists to make efforts towards saving the country “instead of sinking it through our reports because if the country is down, we shall all sink with it”.
In a remark, Chairman of the event and a retired Permanent Secretary, Mr. Chimdi Oluoha, harped on the need to guarantee the safety of media practitioners who often stake their lives on the line of duty.
Another resource person, Dr. Ifeanyi Didiugwu, disagreed with those who accuse media practitioners of being an accomplice to terrorism in Nigeria by publishing their activities.
He said that oddity including acts of terrorism make big headlines but advised media practitioners against being reckless in their reportage so as not to undermine national interest.
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