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Group Calls For Patriotism And Selflessness To End Hate Speech in Nigeria

by Abdulazzez YZ
By Joseph Edegbo
Kaduna (Nigeria)– Nigerians have been urged to imbibe the spirit of patriotism and selflessness to avoid hate and dangerous speeches in the country.
 
The advise is contained in a communique issued at the end of a one- day Public Sensitization on Hate and Dangerous Speeches organized by the Centre for Information Technology and Development CITAD held in Kaduna, north west of the country.
The Communique also stressed the need for justice and fairness to prevail in the society, while those in authority should live exemplary lives and set good benchmarks for others to follow.
Security Agencies, the Communique recommends, should respect the rights of citizens and operate by their positive rules of engagement.
The participants affirmed that no religion preaches violence and hatred among people hence the need for clerics to strictly avoid the use of hate speeches in their preaching.
They suggested constant and synergetic collaboration among various peace stakeholders in Nigeria and the need for politicians to be seen to respect moral and societal ethics by avoiding any speech that is capable of mobilizing people to acts of violence especially, as the nation approaches the 2019 General elections.
CITAD is an NGO which raises awareness and enlighten the public on the consequences arising from hate and dangerous speeches..
Participants at the forum were drawn from the CSOs, Media, Students Union, religious leaders and traditional rulers.
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Online hate speech has been identified as catalyst of conflict

by Abdulazzez YZ

By Hassan Umar Shallpella

 Worried with the havoc caused by online hate speech in the society, the PeaceTech Lab and Centre for Information and Technology Development (CITAD) recently organized 3 day workshop for Journalists and Civil Society Organizations tagged ‘PeaceTech Exchange for combating hate speech in Nigeria” held at Ventures Park Abuja.

Participants drawn from across Nigeria were taught how to use modern technology in combating hate speech online so as to have a free online hate speech society that will improve the peaceful coexistence among various segments of people in Nigeria.

Theo Dolan, Director Peacemedia and Peacetech Lab Africa said the essence of the workshop is to train participants on how to use media technology in preventing violence and building peace in Nigeria as the country is heading for 2019 general election.

He urged the participants to utilize the knowledge acquired for the betterment of the country.

Declaring the workshop open, the Chairman and CEO of Channels Television Mr. John Momoh, while commending the organizers for the foresight and expressed optimism that the workshop will go a long way in countering online hate speech in Nigeria which has been a major challenge to the country and will impact positively on the lives of young people.

Momoh also expressed dismay with the attitude of some media outfits that disseminate news and hate speech for their selfish gain without minding its consequences and urged them to refrain from using words that are capable of breaching the peace.

“We should stop using the word Fulani herdsmen in our reportage because other criminals that are not Fulani engage in cattle rustling.” He said

He said that Nigeria has been divided due to political, ethnic and religious differences instead of using religion and culture to bring people together.

Momoh stated that hate speech hurt and can destroy country and attributed the causes of conflict in the society to lack of understanding, misinterpretation and intolerance.

In his remark, Yunusa Zakari Ya’u, the Executive Director of CITAD, said participants would be train on tracking, monitoring and combating hate speech online, maintained that CITAD has been working with other partners to combat hate speech among young ones who uses social media frequently so as to disabuse their minds from using hate speech on anything capable of causing violence in Nigeria.

Ya’u  noted that the use of technology tools in combating hate become necessary following the damage hate speech has done to the country especially during previous elections, maintained that peace can only prevail in a hate speech free country .

He hoped that the participants who sue the knowledge gained so as to reduce hate speech online that has been a catalyst of conflict in the country.