By Abdullateef Otuyiga
Battling with incessant security and humanitarian challenges, Nigeria still struggle among countries of the world. However, continuous awareness of these challenges has created hope of proffering solutions that would heal the wounds and worries of Nigerians. Then, what has created this awareness?
History reveals that—the more democratic a society is, the more news and information it tends to have through journalism. Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information to people in any society of the world. Interestingly, its functions require journalists that have passion, dedication and commitment to render humanitarian service— despite facing funding and safety problems in a democratic country like Nigeria.
Aside from Nigeria being a blessed country with human and natural resources, the consolidation of Boko Haram, Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other terrorist groups, and the ascendancy of nationalist groups, some of which have taken to armed struggle in their secessionist quests, have made the practice of journalism difficult to undertake, thereby denting the image of the country.
In addition, the credibility of real journalism is fading away through misinformation, disinformation and mal-information of societal issues which, not only Nigerians, but also the citizenry of the world lament. However, practitioners of the profession find it duty-bound to keep re-orientating the populace on the danger of fake news.
Nonetheless, the citizenry still embraces journalism, as a tool for survival, to make economic decisions, hold the government accountable, and shape public opinion.
With the trust of journalism at the heart of the Nigerians in the ongoing 2023 General Election, ethical journalists tend to create more awareness about the dangers of political apathy, the dangers of political violence, the importance of political participation, and re-emphasizing the roles and duties of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for a free fair and credible election.
Also, the effective and efficient practice of this profession paves the way to analyze the fundamental causes of conflicts and proffer solutions. When conflict erupts, ethical journalists can stabilize it through objective, balanced, and fair reportage. If these principles are violated, the journalists would end up escalating the conflict instead of mitigating it.
All in all, being informed about the scope of Nigeria’s security and humanitarian challenges guides one in proffering solutions to them. Hence, journalism plays this vital role.