Media and the challenges national integration

Media and the challenges national integration
The media in Nigeria, even prior to the nation’s independence, constituted themselves into a potent opposition to bad governance, injustices and were very critical of the colonial administration. So it is very right if one describes the Nigerian press as an institution born out of struggle and the fight against colonial injustices. The press championed whatever is Nigerian from the pre-independence up to the independence years, though rivalries between politicians, who mostly founded these newspapers, has led to the use of newspaper pages to advance their political interests, especially after independence, which in most cases inflicted injuries to political opponents. The press found themselves used by these opposing groups to create enmity between various political groups, however that notwithstanding the press contributed a lot, one in fighting the colonial administration and second they helped in advancing democracy during the dark days of military era.
It is equally right to point out also that most of the political, ethnic, religious conflicts in the country and to a large extent the suspicion and resentment between the South and North was caused by the press. As Hydele observed, after Nigeria’s independence, the media, having chased their common enemy turned their weapons against each other. He said at times, harsh and biased press reporting led to increased partisan tension to the point where many leaders found it impossible to cooperate with each other after having accumulated scars from highly personal press attacks. While on one hand the press contributed in chasing colonialists and military dictators, they have, on the other hand, contributed a lot in causing divisions we are witnessing in various places in this country even today. Although we should not generalised and attribute this to the mainstream media, but in actual sense, especially the Lagos/Ibadan axis press contributed a lot in drawing a line and causing divisions among different ethnic groups in the country, due to actions of some armchair journalists from that axis.
Writing in his paper, ‘1914 and Nigeria’s existential crisis: A historical perspective’ a Nigerian born US academic Moses Ochonu said ‘At this time the Lagos press had acquired an unprecedented vibrancy through the addition of more publications and this new potency was deployed to prosecute the Southern campaign against political fusion with the North’. He went further to say that ‘the Chronicle in its editorial stated that the south was not Muslim and that the principle of Northern administration was anathema to Southerners’. On a similar note he also quoted the Times of Nigeria which in its editorial shortly after the amalgamation of South and North stated that the “unification was synonymous with a sell-out of the South. The subjugation of Southern Nigeria by Northern Nigerian laws, northern Nigerian land laws, Northern Nigerian Administration must be made to supersede every system in Southern Nigeria’. These and other statements coming from the Southern press even before the independence contributed a lot in creating a permanent division and resentment we are seeing today between the South and North.

Although the press in Nigeria are regarded as vanguards of democracy and good governance and they were at the fore front in exposing official corruption, however, as it is with any institution, the bad eggs among us continued to spread disharmony and became obstacle to national integration. These people were in the profession in the first place not to promote understanding among our hundreds ethnic nationalities and integrate them but, were out to promote ethnic and regional divisions. They are very dangerous and influential because they are seeing by their people as freedom fighters that are out to protect their people from the domination of an enemy. This led to general misrepresentation of history, distrust and social disharmony between the North and South on one hand and the various religious and ethnic groups in the other. Media analysts and commentators have in several occasions attributed our political, ethnic and religious crises to the reckless, sensational and sometimes irresponsibility of the media in the way they address issues of national importance. According to Sobowale, having gain political independence the press, went into petty jealousies, occasioned by political and ethnic differences. This beclouded the vision of media proprietors and media practitioners. He went further to say that ‘rather than promoting national integration and national consciousness, the media became sectional and a potent agent of disunity. They promoted inter-ethnic hatred as well as inter-ethnic distrust and acrimony that eventually led to the collapse of the first republic’.

And we can see even now the press or some individuals within the media circle find it very difficult to chart a new course for the profession so as to conform to democratic principles and address national integration rather they prefer to adopt distortions and attitudes repugnant to the unity of the country. No doubt democracy will and cannot function without education and enlightenment, and the media is a potent weapon to serve this purpose, however, if the media appear to be irresponsible and try instead to promote ethnicism, tribalism and championed sectional interest it can be a double edged sword, which can be use to destroy democracy, unity and national integration. Therefore, while we in the media try to ensure that the nation has good leaders and enlightened citizenry we have to also bear in mind that, any reckless or irresponsible act from our part may spell doom for the country. We have seen in the recent past how the media’s handling of crises in Kaduna, Jos, Aba, Kano and Lagos led to the destruction of lives and property in these places.

In a society like ours, with ten of hundreds of ethnic groups and where the institutions of societal control are weak, we need an objective, fair and fearless media so as to check the excesses of government on one hand and inform the citizens what is their rights and how to fight for it. Nigerians need to understand the governance process, role of security agents in a democracy, rule of law and the role of the legislative arm and the judiciary. They need to understand why their economy is not functioning, or why the government adopt certain policies and whether these policies are good for the country or are just out to serve the personal interest of the policy makers.

Journalists need to understand that looking at issues, policies of government rather than personalities is what will ensure our transition from a backward nation characterised by tribal and religious sentiments to a country where merit, qualification become the determinants of who is saddled with position of responsibility. Let us stop promoting sectionalism, tribalism and nepotism, let us try to address issues rather than personalities, let us stop looking at the governor of Central Bank as Igbo or Hausa or Yoruba but how far has he delivered. Let us try to increase understanding between Southerners and Northerners. I think changing the kind of mindset we have will go a long way in changing the course with which the country is placed on. It is very difficult, but we can start now. Can we take the challenge?