JOS— GOVERNOR Joshua Dariye of Plateau State has advised the media against the publication of inciting items capable of heightening tension or breeding communal violence. He gave the advice while declaring open the 38th General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) Thursday, regretting a situation where a section of the media tended to have fuelled the crises that engulfed the state. "We must not allow ourselves to be consumed by broadcast contents that tend to induce some incitements which instead of narrowing the conflicting gap between groups, ignite unnecessary tensions," he stated.
He described the theme of the conference which is "Broadcasting as an Agent for Communal Peace and Reconciliation" as timely and very relevant to Plateau State which was still recovering from the sad experience of ethno-religious crises, noting that the broadcast industry could play a significant role in promoting peace and reconciliation.
The governor said it was in recognition of the critical role the broadcast media could play in this regard that the state government was investing about one billion naira to turn around the state RadioTelevision Corporation which he commended for playing a vital role in dousing tension and restoring peace to the state.
Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Dr. Silas Yisa who hailed the return of peace to the state, appealed to BON members to give Plateau a positive image in the next six months through their programmes as their contribution to the peace process of the state.
He appealed to the people to uphold the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness being preached by the governor as this was the only way to ensure that the efforts to restore peace were not thwarted. Also speaking, Chairman of BON, Alhaji Abubakar Jijiwa regretted the crises that engulfed Plateau State and the resultant loss of lives and property describing those behind the mayhem as heartless.
He highlighted the importance of the broadcast media in the information dissemination process in view of its spontaneity and impact saying, "many people read newspapers and they would not riot, but when they hear certain things on radio or television, they immediately go on the streets."
Jijiwa who is the Acting Managing Director of Voice of Nigeria (VON), however, pointed out the positive impact of the broadcast media in spreading the message of peace and tolerance among the people and upholding democratic principles and the rule of law.
