Centre condemns use of media for hate speech

NAN-H-38
Speeches
Jos, Dec. 5, 2017 (NAN) Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has condemned the use of the media by politicians to disseminate hate and hurtful speeches.
Executive Director of the centre, Mr Abdullahi Omaki, made the condemnation in Jos during a public hearing on the campaign against hate and inciting speeches.
Omaki said that the programme was organised under the Macarthur Foundation funded by Democracy Stability and Media Accountability Project.
He said that the overbearing use of the social media has made Nigeria’s political space clumsier as the regulatory bodies were ineffective at managing the political space.
Omaki said that due to increased hate speeches, the Centre came up with a programme seeking to engage the media to raise awareness and also draw attention to the consequences of hate and inciting conducts.
“The media are mirror of the community and for a country to achieve any meaningful development, political stability is required thus the collaboration of all, especially the political class and more importantly the media practitioners.
“Regrettably, well after the elections of 2015, Nigeria’s political space remains flooded with increasing levels of hate, inciting and hurtful conducts,’’ he said.
Omaki advised that the country should not allow the Rwanda’s experience to occur in Nigeria, adding that the public hearing would help to educate Nigerians on the dangers of such speeches.
He called on media practitioners to always maintain the professional ethics and ensure that hate speakers were not promoted in their organisations.
“The road to the 2019 elections should not be allowed to be commencement steps for the destruction of the country, rather, they should be the re-birth of a new, united and cohesive Nigeria,’’ he said.
He also called on government to sensitise politicians to the dangers associated with hate speeches.
Omaki said that the call was necessary in order to promote peaceful coexistence in the country as the politicians prepared for the general elections in 2019.
According to him, the regulatory bodies in the country do not have enough mechanism to deal with issues of hate speeches.
He advised the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to use the media to educate Nigerians on how to avoid hate speeches.
Director of NOA in Plateau, Mr Bulus Dabit, said that the issue of hate speeches had been a concern to the agency.
Dabit said that the agency had embarked on campaign of “building a people of peace in Nigeria’’.
He attributed the increased of hate speeches in the media to weakness in the law that regulated the organisations.
“The government needs to strengthen the regulatory bodies because they are very weak,’’ Dabit said.
He called on lawmakers to ensure that proper laws were put in place to sanction those involved in hate speeches.
According to him, the aspect of the law that has not reflected on the issues of hate speeches should be strengthened.
A participant, Mr Usman Mohammed from Kogi State, said the programme was timely because it would help to educate the youths on what constituted hate speech.
“We need to start educating Nigerians on the impact of hate speeches on the country’s economy and development,’’ Mohammed said.(NAN)
FNO/COO/OPI
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Edited by Cecilia Odey and Olisa Ifeajika