by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The Network of Peace Journalists on the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) program, with coordination from Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC) Kaduna, has called for peaceful and credible elections 2023 throughout the country, ahead of Saturday election.
Team leader of the group, Ibrahima Yakubu, thanked all the media organizations across the country for their marvelous contributions towards promoting peace journalism for the promotion of unity among Nigerians
This was contained in a statement made available to the press and signed by Ibrahima Yakubu, after a brief meeting on Friday with many media experts.
Yakubu appealed to all Nigerians, both home and abroad, to come out enmass and elect new committed and dedicated leaders, and equally called on Nigerians to vote for competence and credible leaders that have the people at heart.
According to him since last year, 2022, they launched ‘Vote-in-Peace’ campaigns across the 36 states of Nigeria, with the aim to sensitize Nigerians about peace, love and tolerance during campaigns and election.
He appealed to Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Press Council and the Network for the Protection of World Journalists to double-up more efforts towards protecting journalists and their safety during elections.
Furthermore, he stressed the need for media organizations to provide kits and other necessary equipment to all journalists that would be touring rural and urban centers, while covering the 2023 general elections.
He still emphasized on the need for non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations to sensitize the general public through the media on the dangers associated with hate speech, vote-buying and thuggery among youth groups.
He again drew the attention of security agencies and other para-military on the need towards the protection of journalists when covering the general elections at the polling centers before, during and after the elections.
He thanked National Peace Commission, Interfaith Mediation Center, Global Peace Foundation and other non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations for their marvelous support towards promoting peace and harmony among Nigerians.
