The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), has urged politicians to desist from what they called “politics of destruction” ahead of the 2023 general elections.
They gave the advice on Sunday in Lagos state, at a special reception by the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) in honour of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
According to them, scoring political points should not be at the detriment of the lives of Nigerians.
Speaking at the event, the National President of the NUJ, Chris Isiguzo, called on political leaders to play fair and just in their political activities in order not to destroy the country.
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our political actors, we don’t need to destroy the country because of politics.
“We have only one country we can call our own, that is Nigeria. We have had leaders in the past, they have come and gone, if they had destroyed the country, there would be no Nigeria today,” he said.
Speaking on the issue of insecurity, NGE President, Mustapha Isa said security was the duty of appointed leaders to ensure a safer society for citizens, rather, they have joined citizens in groaning about the rising insecurity instead of acting.
Isa noted that it is important to learn from those getting it right, as well as applaud them.
According to him, “We should not mix politics with the issue of security. When we talk about the security challenges in the country, some governors join us in lamenting, they run to Abuja looking for support.
“When you ask them, they tell you they are not responsible. So why do they collect security votes monthly,?” he queried.
“We should support those getting it right to continue in that line, and also learn from them, not do everything to puncture our gains at the expense of the people,” Isa added.
