From correspondent in Ilorin
Media practitioners in Nigeria, particularly journalists, have been advised on the need to prioritize objectivity and patriotism while discharging their day to days activities of news reporting.
A former chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) in Kwara State, Elder Stephen Oni, gave the advice while speaking at the 2020 Press Week programme of the National Orientation Agency(NOA) in Ilorin
Oni,a veteran Journalist, who spoke on the topic “The Roles of Journalism in Nation Building”, said described Journalism as very germane and paramount in attaining the much needed peace and development in the country.
The elder, who noted that Nigeria had been experiencing social, economic as well as security challenges, stressed the need to rebuild for all the stakeholders in peace process in to rebuild the country, to pave way for the much needed peace and development.
” In this unfortunate circumstance, the role of journalism is very germane and paramount, being a veritable vehicle to shape ideas, mould public opinions, influence citizenry’s behaviour and promote policies that can guarantee peace and high quality of life.
“It has, therefore, been argued that development, be it economic, social or political, would continue to be a mirage in Nigeria except the citizenry embrace the ideals of nation building and crisis resolution through journalism.”
Oni said that aside the three unique conventional role of informing, educating and entertaining the society ascribed to journalism,the profession had been performing the role of persuasion, where Journalists “applying persuasive efforts to influence people’s actions toward a particular direction.
“The mass media is, therefore, seen for its role in furnishing the public with necessary information to achieve developments or change goals,”he added.
The elder,who lauded the contributions of journalists to the growth of the country in all ramifications, said that they continued to accomplish the feat despite all odds.
“Journalism has contributed immensely to the growth of this country and also in ensuring an enabling environment in which the citizend, to a large extent, have become involved in the process of nation building,”he further explained.
The veteran Journalist, however, called on the government to give all support possible to the media, to enable it fully perform its arduous role of nation building.
He, therefore, urged government to consider resuscitating the moribund Oku Iboku papermill, Iwopin papermill and the one in Jebba to enable them function and reduce the high cost of newsprints.
He also urged government to give waivers to the newspaper houses while importing the newsprints, saying that the “cost of importation of newsprints has dealt a death knell to some newspapers in the country while the few ones still struggling to exist are not finding it funny at all.”
