NUJ, musicians preach peace at election

With the governorship election only one week away, journalists and musicians have partnered to preach peace.The chairman of the state chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Roland Osakue, disclosed this at a media forum tagged Edo Media Peace Day.

The event was organised by the union with the support of the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Also, performing musicians in the state, under the aegis of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) have staged a peace rally in support of peaceful elections across the state. Osakue said the essence of the parley was to share ideas on the need to provide a safe environment for journalists covering the election.

He explained that the NUJ was collaborating with various security agencies on how to provide adequate security for journalists.  He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the conduct of a free, fair, credible and conclusive election.

The NDI Senior Programme Manager, Citizens Participation, Machill Manidu Maxwell, said it had been cooperating with the NUJ and its counterparts since 2015 towards ensuring peaceful elections.

He urged journalists to dedicate September 9 to propagate the message of peace in their radio, television and newspaper reports, just as he encouraged the use of social media to propagate the message of peaceful election.

In their goodwill messages, two former Chairmen of Edo Council of the NUJ, Ralph Okhiria and Desmond Agbama, commended the organisers of the programme. Meanwhile the musicians and entertainers, led by the President, Entertainers Association of Edo State, Miyake Airemen, yesterday visited the NUJ press centre in observance of the no music day.He said youths of the state were tired of violence in elections and restated the need for peace.