{"id":1372,"date":"2013-04-02T16:40:09","date_gmt":"2013-04-02T16:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/obada-fashola-ihejirika-task-media-on-boko-haram\/"},"modified":"2013-04-02T16:40:09","modified_gmt":"2013-04-02T16:40:09","slug":"obada-fashola-ihejirika-task-media-on-boko-haram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/obada-fashola-ihejirika-task-media-on-boko-haram\/","title":{"rendered":"Obada, Fashola, Ihejirika task media on Boko Haram"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Minister of State for Defence; Erelu Olusola Obada, the Lagos State governor; Mr. Babatunde Fashola ( SAN) and the Chief of Army Staff; Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, on Tuesday admonished journalists to put national interest before every other pecuniary gains while reporting activities of the Boko Haram sect.<\/p>\n

They argued that regular attention given to the sect by various media organizations in the country has emboldened the group.<\/p>\n

The trio spoke at the opening of the three-day interactive session on Military \u2013Media Relations in Nigeria, held at the 81 Division Auditorium, Marina, Lagos.<\/p>\n

The theme of the workshop is: \u201cEnhancing Military-Media Relations Towards Improved Security.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obada, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, said media practitioners must do away with sensational reporting of the sect\u2019s onslaught in the country.<\/p>\n

She said the Federal Government recognized the unique role of journalists in a democratic setting, stressing that it was the realization of this fact that made President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the Freedom of Information ( FoI) Act in May 2011.<\/p>\n

Ihejirika in his opening address said the primary goal of terrorists is to win the attention of the media, national and foreign publics and decision- makers in a government.<\/p>\n

The COAS stated that it is for this reason that terrorists carefully select the places in which they carry out their attacks in order to get the best media coverage.<\/p>\n

He added the terrorists also use the media to publicize their political causes, convey the motives for their terrorist deeds and explain their rationale for resorting to violence.<\/p>\n

Speaking further, Ihejirika said the sect recruit its followers, mostly the uneducated and the disgruntled, through a \u201ccovert radicalization\u201d process that assures all adherents of many \u201cheavenly benefits\u201d once they kill non-adherents.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThey operate in packet or cells and rely on media propaganda to entice new followers and draw sympathy across the Muslim world. It has also been established that they get their funding from bank robberies, payment of protection fees through intimidation of individuals and through external funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is also a strong link between the Boko Haram sect and terrorists in the Maghreb including the rebels in Mali who provide them with training, funding and weapons. Their use of IEDs and the adoption of suicide bombing tactics is a clear indication that the Boko Haram sect has no value for human life and the people they claim to represent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fashola on his part urged media practitioners, while reporting Boko Haram activities, to avoid anything that would make the public to panic.<\/p>\n

\u201c I understand that in the media industry there is a need to ensure a positive balance sheet at the end of the year. But this has to be done with caution. What is the need of having a positive balance sheet when there is tension and acrimony in the land? This is a question the media practitioners must ask themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecurity is the most critical role of government. Safety of lives of people kept in my care as head of government either at the state or at the national level is a very important task. It is different from other roles. I can reconstruct the roads and the bridges, provide pipe borne water etc, but I cannot recreate lives that had been lost, \u201cthe governor said.<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: The Nation Newspaper<\/p>\n

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