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The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has said that the insecurity in the country is threatening the national unity and the peaceful coexistence of the nation.
Just as the Union also noted that the situation in the country is being compounded by frightening insecurity across the different geopolitical divides.
The NUJ President, Chris Isiguzo asserted these during his welcome address at the 3rd NUJ National Conference in Port-Harcourt on Monday.
While speaking, Isiguzo added that the primary responsibility of the government is to protect life and property of its citizens, noting that it appears that the government is overwhelmed and unable to perform this responsibility creditably well.
He advised that the government must not allow her citizens to lose confidence in the ability of the government to deal with the situation of insecurity decisively.
Said he; “we have carefully watched as national politics has degenerated to the extent that it is threatening national Unity and the peaceful coexistence of the Country. The situation is being compounded by frightening insecurity across the different geopolitical divides.
“In the past 25 years or so, the architecture of the global system had witnessed tremendous transformation, caused primarily by the collapse of the bipolar World order which had hitherto pitched the West against the East. This development led to the emergence of other threats around the World. These trans-border crimes include but not limited to human trafficking, drug trafficking, environmental and refugee problems and the related racketeering by criminal gangs and freelance elements, kidnappings and banditry.
“If Nigerians had initially thought that they were outside of the vicious grip of some of these threats, then the Boko Haram Conundrum and other festering crimes have changed this mindset. The NUJ realises that Nigeria is part of the world order and Nigerians must rise to the challenge which the insecurity poses to our national integrity.
“It is instructive to note that the very same policies that work to bring about open, democratic, pluralist societies and open markets also make trans-sovereign threats possible. These new factors that transcend boundaries and threaten national stability present a very difficult dilemma for policy makers.
“The Union believes that in going forward, we have to operate against the background of the opportunities and problems associated with the information age, and we hope that this conference will provide the veritable platform to achieve this national agenda for Nigeria. The advent of the internet poses another dimension to this problem as terrorists also exploit it for their maximum benefit.
“Today the NUJ is hosting this national conference on The Media, Insecurity and National Unity, against the background of the threats we have mentioned earlier in order to achieve a national consensus that will help facilitate Nigeria’s response to the growing problem of insecurity. We are convinced that the defeat of terrorism , banditry and other criminal activities while attempting to achieve democratic stability requires the concentration of minds, especially the invaluable role of the Media.”