From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Catholic Church in Nigeria has highlighted the critical roles of the media in promoting peace and sustainable development in Nigeria.
Chairman of the Social Communications of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) Bishop David Ajang, told journalists at a special church service to mark the Communications Week of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) in Abuja, that the media can be used to build bridges of peace and unity in the country, and can also be used to destroy the country.
He advocated the use of mass media to champion peace and unity of the country, adding that no one can deny the fact that the country is sharply divided along ethnic and religious lines, and that leadership deficit has been a key challenge facing the country.
Bishop Ajang said: “No one can deny the fact that the country is sharply divided along ethnic and religious lines, and it’s obvious in our actions and utterances. When you carry out a survey, listen to the news on topical issues, and you will know where the person is coming from. That is how divided we are. This is where I think the leadership of the country has a lot to do.”
“There is strength in numbers, and people are coming together to harness the togetherness. All over the world, people are thinking of coming together to achieve a common course. if you look at the European Union, it’s the coming together of different countries in the continent because they believe there is strength in numbers.
“Nigeria already has the population, but the challenge is how to harness the human resource endowment has been the biggest challenge the country is facing.”
He said that it is the feeling of being left out of power that is probably driving the current opposition coalition against President Bola Tinubu. “When a certain region is in power, the thinking in the minds of most people is that it is the turn of the region to enjoy the goodies of the country, and anybody who is not in power will be sidelined.
“I think that if we fix the problem of leadership such that it doesn’t matter who occupies the seat, all of these agitations will die,” he said.
Earlier in his homily, the National Director of Social Communications at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Nsikak Umoh enjoined journalists to practice active listening by hearing others out and responding with empathy.
He said: “Let us strive for a common ground by looking for areas of agreement and building bridges. Let us strive to be instruments of God’s love, sharing the hope in our hearts with gentleness and compassion.”
He also said that one of the most challenging problems facing Nigeria today is that of having the right leadership that will unite and galvanise the population to achieve greatness.