The Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ has declared February 14 as the National Media Peace Day with the theme “Nigeria Media Peace Day: Think Election, Think Peace.”
Practitioners from the print, broadcast, new media, made the declaration on Saturday 09 Feb 2019 after their two -day meeting in Abuja, conscious of the need to engender violence-free elections.
The two-day meeting, organized under the auspices of an international Non-governmental Organization; Search for Common Ground, expressed apprehension about the proliferation of small arms, thuggery, hate speech, fake news and called for caution on the part of the Media and the political actors.
The meeting also expressed apprehension about the fate of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups taking part in the electoral process and urged election management bodies to address the issue with the seriousness it deserves.
The Nigerian Media also enjoined all stakeholders in the electoral process, including the political parties, politicians, the electorate, the judiciary and Election Management bodies to put Nigeria first in all their actions before, during and after the 2019 elections.
It declared that the Nigerian Media is poised to disseminate news items, features, analyses talk shows that would engender peace in the polity as peace is a prerequisite to development.
A statement by the National President of the NUJ, Comrade Chris Usiguzo therefore directs all state councils to mark February 14, 2019 as National Media Peace Day.