CITAD, others want Nigerians to eschew hate, dangerous speech

VARIOUS civil society organisations from across Nigeria have gathered in Lagos to adopt various measures to end hate and dangerous speeches in the country.

Speaking at a one-day sensitisation on hate and dangerous speech in Nigeria, which was organised by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), the Programme Officer, Peace, Abdulganiyu Rufai, urged all journalists to ensure balanced reportage of events in their profession.

While emphasising that the way a news item is reported is bound to instigate crisis, as it contains pillars of action which include to discriminate, loot, beat, forcefully evict or call for killing, Rufai added that it is in the public interest for journalists to enlighten the citizenry on the need to eschew such speeches.

He said the organisation came to Lagos to solicit the support of journalists for peer review menchanism, with the aim of making a conscious effort to stop dissemination of the vice.

He said that CITAD organised a working committee on hate and dangerous speech, which constitutes the civil society organisation, journalists and regulatory agencies. “The law on hate and dangerous speech was not so powerful. We sat down and came together to raise an advocacy team to work with the National Assembly to come up with laws that ensure that anyone who disseminates hate and dangerous speech is punished,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Director, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Lagos, Mrs. Bunmi Cole, urged journalists to adhere to responsible journalism, as journalists either make or mar the society through what they write. The responsibility of making the society lies on Nigerian journalists”, she said, adding that until journalists start to do it right and become professional, the country will not go anywhere.

CITAD, a capacity building civil society oraganisation covers research advocacy, training and publicity in all areas of Information Communications Technology, aims to ensure a knowledge-based democratic society free of hunger and to use ICT to empower citizens for a just and society anchored on sustainable and balanced development.