SDNON Summit 2.0: Experts Dissect Role Of New Media In Nigeria's War Against Terrorism

SDNON Summit 2.0: Experts Dissect Role Of New Media In Nigeria’s War Against Terrorism 

Nigerians have been informed that the war against insecurity in Nigeria is a collective effort which should involve all security agencies and every citizen of the country.

This was made known by panellists during the second edition of the Society of Digital Newspaper Owners of Nigeria, SDNON Summit, tagged “Nigeria’s Security Architecture & Digital News Reportage: A Credibility Threshold For A Successful 2023 General Elections” held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

There is no doubt that the insecurity in the country has been a major concern as stakeholders raced to find a lasting solution to the quagmire. Hence, the media platform, which boasts of seasoned journalists drawn from across newsrooms, gathered top personalities in society to discuss the role of new media.

The keynote speaker, who is also the vice presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Bishop Isaac Idahosa, while delivering his speech, reminded the new media practitioners to discharge their duties with sincerity of purpose and professionalism.

“The digital practitioners need to have the conscience and sincerity of purpose; never to be partisan and need to ascertain the source of their information in order not to mislead Nigerians.

“We should begin to have a monitoring system to know where the news is coming from, and if it’s not coming from this kind of organisation, then the news should be taken with a pinch of salt,” he stated.

According to a former commissioner for information in Edo State, Prince Kassim Afegbua, the job of securing this country should not be left to the security agencies alone.

“No doubt that there is poverty in the land and a crisis of insecurity, but the security agencies alone can’t do the job. We all must be seen to be part and parcel of the process.

“This is one of the reasons I’m advocating that there should be a data bank of security agencies at the community, state and federal levels,” Prince Afegbua stated.

Other participants, who also contributed robustly to the discourse included the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, the Sunday Editor of BusinessDay, Zebulon Agomuo, General Manager of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority, Bolaji Oreagba and the CEO of Safety Signatures Limited, Dr Cynthia Greg.

In his words, the President of SDNON, Otunba Femi Davies, believes that the event is coming at an appropriate time as the nation prepares for the 2023 general elections.

“The only worry nationwide is the security situation and even though the incumbent government rode into power on a change mantra, we’re still going into next year’s election worried about the security of lives and properties.

“Hence, there is a need to discuss the impact of our roles as media practitioners,” Otunba Davies revealed.

The event was anchored by the popular comedian/MC, Koffi Ayinde Idowu Nuel, fondly called Koffi Da Guru, while the plenary session was moderated by a professional TV host and On-Air-Personality, Tolulope Ajibola.

“The 2022 edition of the summit is an important talking point in the history of the country as far as digital age reportage is concerned,” the chairman of the Organising Planning Committee of the 2022 SDNON Summit, Adeniyi Ifetayo, disclosed.

SDNON is a network of seasoned journalists drawn from across newsrooms and a rallying point for like-minded individuals in the new media space, driven by excellence and poised to make a clear-cut mark in contemporary journalism using modern tools of the profession.

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