The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs ( NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has called upon the media to be responsible in their profession.

The Sultan of Sokoto said this in his introductory remarks at the ongoing 2023 Second Quarterly Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

According to him, this will safeguard the peaceful and harmonious relationship among Nigerians, especially at this crucial time when power is about to change from one administration to another.

Speaking on the theme of the meeting: ‘Media and Effective Leadership for Nation Building’, the co-chairmen of the NIREC, said media houses have important roles to play to ensure that Nigeria as a nation does not disintegrate.

He noted that Nigeria as a nation should be rightly projected to the outside world by the media while emphasizing that being socially responsible will go a long way to making that a reality.

Earlier in his remarks, Prof. Cornelius Omonokhua, the Executive Secretary of NIREC, posited that media in Nigeria is being used to transmit tragic messages to the public while faulting some journalists, media houses and bloggers for heating the polity with fake, disturbing and alarming news.

To grow a healthy Nigeria, he raised the need for justice and good existence as each level and societal class needs some kind of coordination for a peaceful relationship.

He added that with effective governance, youth will be comfortably engaged in the country.

With NIREC, he said, “The Nigerian Government has succeeded in averting religious war which is the ultimate goal of the terrorists and fanatics who trade on religion and ethnicity to feed their greed.”

While declaring the meeting open, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Gida Mustapha, particularly thanked the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, for his guidance when he was appointed as the SGF in November 2017 by the outgoing regime led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the Sultan was instrumental in drafting the COVID-19 guidelines at a time when Nigeria was trying to navigate a trying period that could have killed many Nigerians despite the country’s poor health infrastructure.

Commenting on the theme of the meeting, Mr. Boss Mustapha described the Nigerian media as the mirror for quality leadership, growth and development.

He appealed to the media to concentrate on what will unite the country instead of pushing around narratives that can split Nigeria.

On the crucial roles played by NIREC in the last eight years, the outgoing SGF said the Inter-religious body had created a template for peaceful and harmonious coexistence between the adherents of Islam and Christianity.

Boss Mustapha assured NIREC that the next administration of President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will give the Council the best support in its policies and programmes.

The SGF was at the event honoured with an award of excellence by NIREC to celebrate and appreciate the top government official for his commitment to the Council since he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The meeting was honoured with the presence of many religious and traditional rulers including the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli among other top dignitaries.

i-News Nigeria