As preparation for the 2027 general elections gets underway, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku has called on journalists to embrace responsible communication culture by ensuring that they feed the public with accurate and objective information.
He made this appeal recently in Abuja while speaking at the 2nd annual lecture of the National Association of Political Correspondents (NAPOC) themed, “Media, INEC, Security Agencies and the Integrity of the 2027 General Election”
He said journalists have a duty of upholding the nation’s peace and stability by being factual and authentic with information dissemination to the public, cautioning that manufacturing of figures during elections could throw the nation into chaos.
“In any election, if you don’t inculcate the needed emotional intelligence of being careful and sure of what you are communicating, you may cause a serious problem. A situation where you dish out information that don’t exist, you are misinforming and deceiving the public. As journalists, you must weigh what you do and embrace the concept of responsible and ethical communication”, he said.
The President also urged the political class and their supporters to avoid overheating the polity with their choice of language, emphasising that the task of building the nation is a collective responsibility.
