The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has appealed to the media to focus on peace journalism before, during and after the 2023 general elections for a peaceful country.
Dr Hameed Abodunrin, the Commandant of NSCDC in Ondo State, made the appeal on Wednesday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure.
Abodunrin said that reports, if not properly constructed, could heat up the polity and cause mayhem.
“We are going to interact with the media in the state to embrace peace journalism on the choice of words they are going to choose for reporting during elections.
“This concept of peace journalism is not that you are a coward, but you want to do it the way it should be done, no gloating.
“Even ordinary accident, you see the way people will report it. They will say people are roasted as if they are corns.
“You have to be very careful about your words you are choosing during reports. If you say somebody died during a clash, it is okay but don’t tell us that he was slaughtered with a knife.
“You are demonstrating it and colouring it. Yes, you have said the truth but you are causing a lot of damage that can set the entire community on fire,” he stated.
He promised that the corps would continue to encourage journalists to be careful with their words, and avoid sensational journalism that could do more harm to the society.
“We will list the words so that it will be in their consciousness whenever they want to write, they can avoid them.
” I know there will be a lot of arguments here and there then, we will have discussed it and we will have debated it,” he said.
He explained that NSCDC was prepared for the forthcoming elections and had started educating its personnel on what to do.
“We are prepared for the coming elections and have trained our personnel. Even INEC too, we have told them what they should do and what they shouldn’t do.
“You may not be conscious of it and you are doing it. Those things could even bring problems to you.
“For instance, you get to a polling unit and the place is dirty and you want to sweep. We have told them, don’t use broom because it could be misinterpreted since it is a symbol of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Election is going to come up during raining season. We have told them, don’t use umbrella because it is a symbol of Peoples Democratic Party.
“Don’t thumb up to greet somebody at the polling booth because it is a symbol of Accord Party,” he said.
Abodunrin enjoined satekholders to avoid anything that would lead to any msinterpretation.
“With that, if there is no trigger, there will not be problem or even if there is a problem, you will know that this man is actually coming for problems, not that he will now say I saw them trying to wave broom, I saw them trying to display umbrella or doing thumb-up,” he said.
He also said that elections would have been so easy if politicians would play according to the rules of the game.
The commandant promised that NSCDC personnel would be deployed with the use of intelligence gathering to forestall breaking of rules and orders.
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