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Dr. Martin Ejidike, Head, United Nations (UN) Human Rights Advisory in Nigeria, has said that the continued polarisation and ethnicisation of every subject in the country was a precursor to evil times.
Ejidike stated this in his remarks at a virtual event, to mark the International Day for the Commemoration of the Victims of the Holocaust, organised by the United Nations Information Center (UNIC), in collaboration with Initiative for Information, Arts and Culture Development in Nigeria (IACD).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Jan. 27 every year, the UN pays tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to counter anti-Semitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance, that may lead to group-targeted violence.
According to the UN representative, the commemoration encourages everyone to pause and reflect not only on the terrible truth of the Holocaust, and the innocent lives that were lost, but also draw inspiration from survivors who found strength and courage to carry on.
“As time goes by, it becomes ever more important that we listen, learn, remember and educate future generations, about the causes of the Holocaust.
“After half a century, it remains an event, close enough in time, that survivors can still bear witness to the horrors that engulfed the Jewish people. The magnitude of the Holocaust planned and carried out by the Nazis, must forever sear in our collective memory”, he said.
Ejidike added: “With humanity still scared of genocide, ethnic cleansing , racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, the international community shares a solemn responsibility to fight those evils.
“We must strengthen the moral commitment of our people and the political commitment of our governments to ensure that future generations can understand the causes of the Holocaust, and reflect upon its consequences.”
He further said that the commemoration of the Holocaust imposed a responsibility to educate future generations and an acknowledge what happened, in order to avoid a repetition.
“Have we done our job in educating the postbellum generation of the atrocities of genocide at the fulcrum?
“Have we also averted sufficient attention to the violent and destructive ethnic and religious rhetoric that has become a recurring decimal in current national discourse?,” he asked.
These, he said, had led to the emergence, and glorification of ethnic, religious and regional champions, against the development of national shared values.
“As stakeholders, our collective responsibility to promote and defend human rights for all, must be prioritised as a matter of urgency, and a recognition of our international and regional human rights and constitutional obligations.”
He added that efforts must be made to counter the current wave of hostility, disinformation, intolerance, discrimination, violence and scapegoating, which had characterized the public and political landscape.
Also speaking, Adefemi Bucknor-Arigbede, Director IACD, said that the socio-ethnic tensions in the country must spur us to proactive action.
“The tensions should keep us all on our toes to ensure that our cultural, religious and ethnic differences, are effectively managed to foster peace unity and prosperity in Nigeria.
“We are here to renew our commitment to ensure that our world and our humanity will never again be compromised, based on racial, religious or ethnic divisions.
“We must, therefore, resist all forms of hate, intolerance and suppression across the length and breadth of our country,” she said.
Dr. Jide Jimoh, an expert in Conflict and Sensitive Journalism, Department of Journalism, Lagos State University, said that apart from the government stepping up on good governance and inclusivity, citizens should also be educated on the need to be sensitive to the feelings and aspirations of other ethnic groups.
In his presentation, entitled, “Addressing the Rising Anti-Semitism, Disinformation, and Hate Speech in Nigeria”, he urged journalists to avoid portraying conflicts as consisting of two people contesting the same goals.
“As is often said , the average Nigerian has no problem relating with his neighbors across religious and ethnic divides, hence the need to change the narrative, with the aim of salvaging the country.
“We are joined together by the same humanity and the moment you portray self as distinct from the other, problems arise.
“Journalists must stick to their professional responsibility of clarifying the goals of society and leading discussions that will be beneficial to the society.
“In reporting conflict, the voices of all those involved must be projected in order to reach an amicable resolve,” Jimoh said.(NAN)