Strengthening Journalism For National Unity And Development -By Abdulrasheed Akere

George Orwell’s definition of journalism as the act of printing what others do not want printed portrays the new landscape that journalism is diving into. Journalists have transcended the point of public relations to procurement, fact-checking, Solution Journalism (SoJo), data, climate, and accountability reporting, among others while narrating touching stories and speaking truth to power.

Unlike the time immemorial that journalism was meant for public awareness, its new phase aims to foster unity that will bring about progress within and beyond the nation. An elite will wonder about the possibility of this vision and its mission, right? Its feasibility is observable from the changes and impacts that journalism drives.

Nigeria as a case study, her national identity includes the green-white-green flag — the green symbolizes agriculture while the white symbolizes peace. Whereas, there cannot be peace without unity, that’s why courageous journalists report incidents from the war zone and how the victims are navigating the hurdles.

Current journalism has provided appropriate data on conflicts in the affected regions which made the authority to channel the defensive army to combat the insecurity. As a result, the number of insurgency has reduced drastically in recent times which enhanced iota of peace among the dwellers. Albeit, the peace will birth unity among Hausa, Igbo, Fulani and other tribes in the regions.

Also, the national coat of arms preaches unity, and faith, peace and progress which could not be achieved without the role of journalism. It’s obvious that citizens have lost trust in the arms of government — executive, judiciary, and legislature due to embezzlement and corruption. There are cases of law makers being awarded multi-million naira zonal intervention projects which are not executed. With the help of accountability journalists, they vomit allocations being swallowed.

If the politicians continue to be held accountable for their expenses, they will halt diversification of public funds and the citizens will develop faith in them. That being achieved, there will be room for peace, then unity that will breed progress which is what the national identity yearns for. And this is suitable journalism for a nation that wants no man to be oppressed.

Indeed, youths are the leaders of tomorrow, but do the youths have what it requires to be a leader? Anyways, a maxim has it that who has an ultimate aim to change the world, journalism is an immediate short term weapon. We lost Dele Giwa but still have vibrant journalists who incorporate this belief in their practice to create the Nigeria we want.

Fortunately, most of the current gentlemen of the press are youths, their willingness to source the facts, and tell them for national development is top-notch. Investigations by our journalists on climate change will not stop to enhance informed decision-making, safe lives, and the ecosystem.