By KATO P. LADAN, Kaduna
Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna Council, Comrade Adamu Yusuf has tasked the Kaduna State Peace Commission (KAPECOM) to as a matter of urgency, organise a stakeholders meeting that will promote peaceful elections.
He made the call at a One -Day Workshop on ” Conflict Sensitive Communication in the Context of 2019 General Elections held in Kaduna on Friday, February 1, 2019.
“To this end, there is need for the Commission to organise another stakeholders meeting with politicians , electorate ,youth and community members on how to embrace peace before ,during and after the 2019 elections,” he charged.
He made the call while drawing attention of the commission to recent hapoenings in Kaduna State.
“At this juncture, permit me to draw the attention of the Commission to the brewing danger signal we are witnessing in Kaduna ,especially the tearing of posters and destruction of campaign billboards of politicians.
He described the organiser of the workshop, Kaduna Peace Commission for taking the bold step to identify with the media as critical stakeholders in determining a peaceful and successful 2019 general elections.
“Permit me to remind us that across the world, media as the fourth estate of the realm are saddled with the duty to ensure that the required information are disseminated to the public about the campaigns ,choice of leaders and issues around elections . If we agree,then the 2019 elections are largely dependent on the important roles of the media.
“Some persons might want to argue that the the peaceful outcome of elections depend on how politicians play their roles , yes this is true . However , in a situation where the media are saddled with the responsibility of shaping how citizen interpret and observe political information ,such as election coverage and other political events , the role of the media cannot be underestimated in shaping the society for the better,” he said.
Speaking further, he said that it is against this background that he commends the Kaduna Peace Commission for being the first organisation to consider bulk training via NUJ, for Kaduna journalists.
“No doubt this investment in the media would certainly yield positive dividends,” he added.
Comrade Yusuf further commended the Commission for its efforts to have earlier created platform for political actors in the state to converge and discuss how to achieve a successful and peaceful conduct of 2019 general elections.
” Keep up the good work for peace to reign,” he added.
He urged journalists and other participants attending the workshop to explore all the training capacity modules and use them to ensure that the campaigns and elections are not only free of violence, but also hitch free.
“Lastly, I want to assure the Commission of our commitment, particularly in the area of promoting peaceful conduct of this year’s elections .We equally wish to express our willingness to partner with the Commission in order to ensure peace and unity of our dear State and the Country in general,” he conclu