C’River: Advocacy groups, Social mobilizers call for media collaboration to restore peace in 16 LGAs embroiled in crises
The advocacy groups, Partners of Peace in the Niger Delta who are peace advocates in collaboration with Social mobilizers say Sixteen of the Eighteen Local Government areas in Cross River State have been embroiled in Communal conflicts in recent times.
The group made this known on Friday during a one-day “Capacity-building Workshop for Journalists and Social Media Influencers-On-Peace Journalism Crises Reporting and Data-Driven Journalism” held at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Center, Calabar.
The one-day event was anchored by Efio-Ita Nyok, a Blogger and a Social Mobilizer who teaches “An Introduction to Peace Journalism, Basics of Journalism and Crises Reporting”
In his submission, he said, that in the course of reporting crises, journalists must always concentrate on the peaceful resolution of the crises and center reports on what will lead to the solution.
He also opined that we must at all times report all issues that lead to crises to enable peace initiators to get the full details that lead to the problem and proffer solutions.
He said, there are 16 Local Government Areas in the state who have been under conflict in the state in recent times.
His take, he said, “We work for a Civil Society Organization, Partners for Peace in the Niger Delta. We have traversed the length and breadth of the 18 LGAs and have discovered that there are conflict situations in up to 16 LGAs.
“Most community conflicts in our state have a bearing on farmlands and resurface mostly during the wet season when the people prepare for farming.”
He said, “In the course of reporting conflicts we must always be concerned about the peaceful solution of the crises and centered reports on what will lead to the solutions”
He emphasized that “Journalists must get to the roots of crises and endeavors to report the issues that lead to the crises”
On his part, another resource person at the event who is also a Blogger, Ukorebi Essien who enumerated the benefits of Peace Journalism said,
“Journalists must reveal the structural causes of conflicts, as they affect the lives of people in crisis.”
He further stated that “The most important thing journalists can do is to convey the truth about a conflict to the maximum number of people affected by it”
Also speaking the National Secretary of the group, Dr. Moses Abang expressed surprise at how the conflicts were under-reported, noting that that their persistent intervention and advocacy have led to many conflict resolutions in the state, saying all hands must be the deck to bring about lasting solutions in our waring communities.
“I was surprised to have noticed that conflicts in our communities were under-reported during our advocacy intervention, It is also worthy of note that our advocacy activities have led to many conflict resolutions in the state, therefore, wish to use this noble chance to call on the stakeholders, particularly, the media to join in the fight to ensure peace return to our waring communities” Abang stressed.
