Port Harcourt, Media practitioners detailed by their organisations to report the 2019 general elections in Nigeria have been enjoined to ensure that their reportage promoted transparency and all round security.The call was made on Tuesday in Port Harcourt by Mr Chris Mbata, the Chairman, Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU) Rivers Chapter.
Mbata spoke as Chairman of a Lecture organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel, Rivers Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to mark their 2018 “Correspondents’ Week”.
He said that the theme of the lecture, “Promoting Security in 2019 Elections: The Role of the Media”, was important as Nigerians looked forward to a hitch free polls in 20119.
Mbata, who said that journalists were important stakeholders in any democracy,
also stated that freedom of speech was an important norm in a democracy.
He called on Journalists to continually sensitise the public before, during and after elections, adding that journalists should fight against quackery in the profession in order to earn more respect.
Similarly, Mrs Geraldine Ekelemo, the Public Affairs Officer for Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) in Rivers, tasked journalists to investigate information before passing such for public consumption.
She said that one of the challenges faced during the election was late arrival of election materials due to Rivers terrain.
She said that INEC was putting in place measures that would ensure that electoral materials arrive on time and the success of 2019 election.
In his remarks, Mr Precious Elekima, the Governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers said that the role of the media was too critical in all democracies globally.
According to Elekima transparency should be one of the roles of the media during 2019 elections.
He said that the media should not be partisan before, during and after election.
He said that the reasons for high level of insecurity during the election in the country was the fear of return to private economy by politicians who hardly ever had gainful employment before having access to politics in1999 to date.
He said that most Nigerians did not trust the sincerity of the military before democracy gained roots in Nigeria.
“Most citizens did not trust the sincerity of the military and were procrastinating on the end result of it; as a result many jobless people who had no risk of success or failure gained entrance to the world of politics.
According to him such people quickly realised the benefit of corruption and strategised a means of unleashing terror to scare perceived political opponents and sustain their hold in political office with easy access to public treasury for their private plunder.
Elekima called on the public to refuse to sell their conscience to leaders who did not have their interest at heart to ensure enduring security during elections.
“The only security I think we need in this country is security of conscience.
The brandishing of guns by politicians, our security men and hoodlums will not give us the security we need.
“Rather freedom to our conscience to do what is right will give us all the security we need, during and after 2019 election,” he said.
The Guest Lecturer at the occasion was Prof. Godwin Okon, Department of Mass Communication, University of Port Harcourt.
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