By Dada Ahmed.
Perhaps, the best perception society usually accords journalists, globally is that members of the Fourth Estate of Realm are professionals charged with the statutory responsibility of informing, educating and entertaining their target audience.
Media enthusiasts describe this public view of journalists as apt arguing that their role as information managers, geared towards the development of the Economy, Socio-Political, Science,Technology, Culture and Justice of any society cannot be overemphasized.
Others also see them as professionals who leverage on their had-earned expertise to mirror the society, mould opinions, set agenda through reports, write or communicate through electronic media to unite the people and advance the cause of humanity to better the society.
It is instructive at this juncture to note that in doing these, journalists often have no weekend because as essential workers, they are constantly on line of duty to ensure that people get to know happenings in the society with all the attendant risks it takes.
Conversely, while the media professionals strive to make life have meaning for human existence, through their all-important profession, members of other segments of the population are in the comfort of their homes with their families or at leisure with friends during weekends.
Infact, journalists are better known as the heart beat of any society in terms of information management geared towards ensuring continued transformation of social, economic and political development of the society.
But besides these laudable functions of journalists which many believe are carried out creditably, not much is known about their other roles, especially in the political landscape of the society, particularly in ensuring emergence of seamless and peaceful elections.
Political scientists agree in their submission at various politic fora that seamless election remains a prerequisite condition for achieving credible, free, fair and acceptable election into offices and for attainment of peaceful political atmosphere in any organized society.
Political analysts have also been consistent in their argument that, the conduct of a peaceful election is achievable in any society, but stressed the need for politicians to play the game by the rule.
They anchor the bane of political development in any society, particularly in Nigeria ,on the failure of political gladiators and their followers to learn from the mistakes of the past and take a cue from other segments of population that imbibe the principle of less rancorous elections.
For instance, empirical evidence reveals that none of the elections organized by members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kogi state, in living memory, ever result in ungodly activities or inflicting trauma on the members of the society.
The analysis and implication of this cheering development ,aimed at sanitizing political activities and ensuring peaceful election in the state and Nigeria at large, hardly get mentioned in media space of the country.
Whenever report is made about election by Journalists in Nigeria, it is usually on who won and those on the other side of the pendulum of the poll.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kogi State council, is one of its kind in Nigeria whose members are noted for peaceful election of their leadership and they have been on this epoch-making event since the inception of their council and the state, spanning over 30 years, now and history is replicated on this fact.
From Mr.Isaac Agagu, the first democratically elected chairman of the NUJ, Kogi state council, followed by Alhaji Sani Adamu, Mr. Joshua Etu, Chief Emmanuel Boro, Segun Omolehin, Alhaji Ibrahim Amoka, Alhaji Ali Atabo, Comrade Adeiza MomohJimoh to the current chairman, Alhaji Saidu Adamu Haruna, the elections from early 1990s to 2024 in the council, were adjudged free, fair and credible.
More so, all the three senatorial districts of the state have had representation on the chairmanship position of the union in the state without recourse to violence.
Recently, members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the union organized their election resulting in Mr. Friday Idachaba, Correspondent of the Nigerian Pilot Newspapers and former State Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria,NAN in Kogi State handing over the mantle of leadership to Mr Segun Salami of Channels Television in a seamless and peaceful election on a consensus basis.
The successful outcome of the poll is a further confirmation and testimony of the history of peaceful elections that have continued to distinct NUJ polls in Kogi from other national and state elections often characterized by malpractices and violence and negation of the provisions of the electoral laws and institutional guidelines.
In all the processes leading to the election of their leaders, Kogi journalists usually imbibe the culture of internal democracy, employ democratic ethos, prioritize interest and compromise, where and if necessary as well as shun divisive expressions such as, tribal, ethnic, religious inclination among others.
Discerning minds following the political trend in Kogi and x-raying the style of election of leadership among journalists in the state, describe these media practitioners as silence operators whose positive contributions toward credible and fair election cannot be ignored.
Therefore, the onus is politicians in Kogi State and their counterparts in other states of the Federation to take a critical look at the cherished pattern of election among journalists in the state, borrow a leaf from them and use the lesson as yardstick to get it right with a view to organizing their elections.
Political analysts express optimism that when this is done, with best of intention, the Nigerian political space will witness less political crises resulting in loss of lives and wanton destruction of property.
It will also put pay to legal battles, either at the State Election Petitions Tribunal, Appeal Court or Supreme Court, if only Nigerian politicians would imbibe the commendable electoral conduct of the journalists in and beyond the shores of the state to clean their houses and allow free,fair and peaceful election being the signature of election in Nigeria as a whole.
Nigerians, here and in diaspora, will also breath fresh air if their country can overcome its electioneering challenges to pave way for socio- economic and other challenges to ensure realistic and overall development Nigeria at large.
All said and done,it will not be out of place to describe journalists, especially,those in Kogi, as the unsung heroes of peaceful election.
As members of the Federated chapel of the union warm for their election,soon, setting up a three-man credential committee for the exercise,to be followed by other chapels, it is hoped that the story will not be different from the trend in the council.
Dada Ahmed,MNGE,a member of NUJ in Kogi,and a media consultant, is also the Publisher of The Reporters.
