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World Communications Day: Catholics Advocate ’Emphatic Journalism’
As Catholic Church all over the world celebrates the World Communications Day, the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, Most Rev. Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo, has advocated the need for journalists to practice what he described as “emphatic journalism” for the service of humanity and growth of the country.
Odetoyinbo, who said this in his message to mark the 55th World Day of Communication, advised the journalists to resist the temptation of playing the scripts of those that desire the disintegration of Nigeria for selfish and inordinate desires.
The bishop said, “It is in this light that we remind media agents to understand their important role in nation building. While they strive to keep the citizenry abreast of current events in our society, they must realize that their activities play a major role in impacting public opinion and pattern of thinking.
“Their platforms should not be ready tools for extremist ideologies or tribal sentiments, but a medium to offer solutions to the myriads of problems besieging our country. This calls for moral uprightness and service to humanity.
“While we thank once more our gallant media men and women at the vanguard of news reporting for their courage and commitment in the face of apparent risks as they carry out their work, we like to admonish them to jettison stories that divide rather than unite us.
“They must not allow the crave for financial gains to distract them from their prophetic roles as watchmen and women. National peace and unity should be their goal even as they chronicle events around us; this should be our common pledge and desire. Let the users and consumers of social media responsible with what they post and consume”, he advised.
“We should not be victims of technology but responsible users to foster the common good of our nation. Let us be circumspect with what we write and post on social media; being critical and exercising greater discernment and responsibility for contents both received and sent. With this we shall conquer fake news and hate speeches”.
He added that the reality of time has proven that there is need for more media engagement with one another particularly as the citizens are bound by common environmental challenges.
He noted that an empathic journalism does not only see news reporting as a game of words and numbers, but one that recognizes the joy, pain, success stories or challenges of the individuals that constitute the subject of news.
He also warned against relying on the testimonies of a section of the human society or some privileged individuals to tell the stories of events in a way that preserves their hegemony or socio-political relevance, rather than create an avenue for direct encounter with people.
“As advocated by Pope Francis, media practitioners and all of us are enjoined to go and see things for ourselves; spend time with people, listen to their stories and present their situations without bias or misrepresentation. This will definitely constitute the foundation of an empathic journalism.
“Empathic journalism is, therefore, a call to go beyond mere media reporting to creating physical encounters and engagement with the citizenry by listening to their stories of satisfaction, joy, frustrations, pain or agitations in order to convey their messages of hope to the right authorities or government agencies.
“Seeing beyond the need to create news that sells to creating news that corrects, confronts and opens the platform for dialogue and constructive criticisms.
“No doubt this requires some courage particularly in the face of threat or oppression as they discharge their duties.
“An empathic journalism puts the security and well-being of the citizenry at the forefront of its activities with the readiness to set out and the desire to observe with curiosity and openness”, Odetoyinbo submitted.
The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) has urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to forestall economic hardship occasioned by the recent increase in pump price of petrol.
The President of NIM, Dr Christiana Atako, made the call in a statement by the institute’s registrar, Mrs Taiwo Olusesi in Lagos.
Atako said that it was important to mitigate the harsh effects of the latest increase in the price of fuel on both the economy and Nigerians.
She said that the long fuel queues that resurfaced in various cities had attendant consequences on Nigerians whose cost of living was shrinking by the day.
“The Institute supports the current efforts by the Federal Government to kick-start the nation’s weak economy and put it on a good footing.
“However, NIM is an organisation committed to promoting good governance and sound management practices.
“We believe that government should do everything within its power to give the nation’s economic policies a human face,” she said.
The NIM president urged the Federal Government to continue working with the greater interest of Nigerians at heart by taking more proactive measures to impact the welfare of the citizenry.
She called on government to, especially, address fuel scarcity, the hunger in the land, as well as tackle the myriad of economic issues facing the country.
“The Institute concedes that the decision to remove fuel subsidy has come with some pains,.
“It is, however, a necessary step towards the nation’s economic stability as it will help to curb the mismanagement of scarce resources
“It will also reduce corruption in the oil sector, and ensure that the benefits of government spending are felt by all Nigerians.
“Since the removal of subsidy is a difficult decision with significant impact on the masses, it is essential that the Federal Government implements measures to mitigate its effects,” she said.
Atako suggested measures like providing a safety tax net for those who would be most impacted by the subsidy removal, greater government intervention in agricultural produce, public transportation and youth employment programmes.
She also enjoined Nigerians to be patient with the Federal Government, and called for more understanding.
She said that the NIM believed that the nation would soon turn the bend and start reaping the benefits of the present sacrifices.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed over 100,000kg of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farm land in Ekiti State.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi yesterday, in Abuja.
Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday Sept. 3 and Wednesday Sept. 4 stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve, in Ise/Orun Local Government Area of the state.
He named the affected areas to include: Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares; Aba Paanu with 12 hectares and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.
He also said two suspects: were arrested on the Toro-Jos road, Kaduna with 305kg cannabis (Indian hemp) concealed in false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM.
Babafemi said that another suspect was arrested in possession of 18 kilograms of same substance at Makarfi town.
“Two other suspects others: were arrested on the Zaria- Kaduna highway in possession of 1300 tablets of Tramadol, all same day,”he said.
Also, in Jigawa state, a 30-year-old man was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis (Indian hemp) at Koran Shehu.
Babafemi said that operatives in Kogi intercepted 77,300 pills of Tramadol, Diazepam and Exol-5 with 1,230 bottles of Codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along Aloma – Ejule road, Ofu LGA, Kogi.
“Another was nabbed on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway with 42.400kg cannabis (Indian hemp) coming from Lagos enroute Kano.
“NDLEA operatives in Borno arrested a 40-year-old man at Ramat area of Maiduguri with 13,100 pills of Tramadol.
“Also, operatives in Kano nabbed a man with 25.8kg cannabis and 3,000 pills of Diazepam along Kano – Daura road,”he said.
The NDLEA spokesman said that no fewer than 87,790 pills of Tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, Taraba state.
Babafemi said that a raid on the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa, Osun state led to the seizure of 43grams of crack cocaine, 23grams of Methamphetamine, 17.126kg cannabis and a locally made pistol.
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