The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) has advised Nigerian journalists to work towards unifying rather than dividing the country.
Mr. Dayo Aiyetan, the Director, ICIR, said this at a training for journalists on peace and conflict-sensitive reporting in Abuja.
Aiyetan also advised journalists against using profiling as a reporting tool.
In a paper titled “The Danger of Ethnicity Profiling in Reporting”, he described ethnic profiling as means of targeting or singling out a person for blame or innuendo based on his or her ethnicity.
He said that ethnic profiling was unethical as it focused on sensationalism rather than professionalism.
“It also fuel division, criminality and genocide as witnessed in Rwandan of which the media will be blamed for it,” the ICIR boss said.
He urged journalists to adhere to the principles of truth, accuracy, balance, fairness and corporate responsibility in their reportage.
Alhaji Abdullateef Shittu, Executive Director, Research and Strategy Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) said that the technical assistance the forum was rendering the governors was yielding positive results in states.
Shittu listed them to include; increase in Internally Generated Revenue and domestication of relevant laws and policies.
He said that many states had also been encouraged to set up relevant agencies that promoted development and accountability.
According to him, this includes the State Bureau of Statistics and Project Monitoring Agency to track projects execution in the states.
He recalled that NGF was instrumental in facilitating the disbursement of Parish Refund Club, the release of bailout funds as well as budget support funds from the federal government to states during an economic recession.
The workshop was attended by journalists from different media organizations in the country
