Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela
ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela, has lamented that social media, the menace of hate speech and fake news are becoming “uncontrollable” in the country and across the world.
Senator Tela, therefore, charged journalists to be objective, accurate and balanced in their reportage in order to safeguard the country from the menace.
He said this while declaring open, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bauchi State Council 2020 Press Week/Lecture, which held at the Development Exchange Center, Bauchi on Tuesday.
Tela, who was the Special Guest of Honour said: “I’d like to remind you of the need to uphold objectivity, fairness, balance and accuracy ad the hallmark of the journalism profession in order to maintain the credibility of the profession and to safeguard the country from the menace of fake news, social media speeches that are gradually becoming the order of the day.
“And I think, this is where we have a lot of work before us. This fake news, social media and many others have become so uncontrollable.
“Some governments across the world including that of Nigeria, have introduced legislation to limit social media, fake news into the society, but unfortunately, it is not enforceable. Somehow, we have not been able to enforce it.
“This social media, hate speeches, fake news and the rest of them, it is not only here in Nigeria, even in the advanced economies, countries that are grandfathers to journalism profession is a problem and they are trying to see how they can contain it.
“I read yesterday that hate speech, even in the football industry which is one industry that is taking up the attention of everybody and everything, but the amount of fake news and hate speech that go on in that industry is so tremendous. Even governments of advanced countries like UK, US and the rest of the European countries, are trying to see what they can do to stop it, but they haven’t been able to do so.
“I think these are areas that we can start on our own and see how far we can go.”
The deputy governor charged journalists to use the knowledge they have acquired from the lecture and “translate same into practice for the benefit of the journalism profession, and the development of the state and the nation in general.”
He added: “Use the period of the one week long event to reflect on your performance within the last one year and make amends for the betterment the f the union, the state and the nation at large.”
The Bauchi state NUJ Chairman, Umar Sa’idu, in his welcome address, said that the state Council is focusing more attention on training and retraining of practicing journalists in the state to improve their performance and efficiency.
“This is to empower them with the relevant knowledge especially on how to do away with the present challenges of fake news. That was the essence why we invited the Guest Speaker (Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Prof. Umar Pate), to come and deliver this lecture and it will be a continuous exercise form time to time.
“Secondly, I want to commend the Bauchi state government for supporting the NUJ and journalists in general in the state by creating a conducive atmosphere for them to do their work professionally, accurately and without fear of favour,” he said.
Special Guest of Honour, Sen. Baba Tela, Deputy Governor, Bauchi State, presenting his speech at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bauchi State Council 2020 Press Week/Lecture,