Bisina Somto, PBA Journalism Mentee, The Electoral Hub in collaboration with Initiative for Research, Innovation, and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD) has urged Nigerians to shun electoral violence and spreading of fake news which fuel instability.
The group also charged religious and traditional leaders to preach the message of tolerance across the nation.
The group gave the charge in a statement released in Abuja to commemorate the International Tolerance Day, 2022 on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
According to the statement signed by the Director of IRIAD-The Electoral Hub, Princess Hamman Obels, the day is set aside to reflect on the diversity and the need to practice tolerance and ensure that we create rooms for one another’s opinions on public issues.
Obels said: “If opinions or ideas are objectionable or indefensible in our eyes, it is our duty to speak up and refute them.
“We must, however, try to understand the perspectives of others to develop a dialogue and build a mutual understanding, culminating in peaceful co-existence.”
Obels stressed that as Nigeria goes to the polls next year, it is imperative that the citizens respect the country’s diversity, learn to live peacefully with one another and be able to achieve a violent-free election.
“This is even more pertinent as we go into the 2023 general election. Nigeria is a diverse country with over 250 ethnic groups and over 500 languages but there is unity in our diversity; there is strength in our numbers; as Nigerians we need to learn to co-exist with one another and tolerate our differences to achieve a violent-free 2023 general election.
“Intolerance breeds electoral malpractices such as electoral violence, threats, harassment, fake news, misinformation, and disinformation etc,” she stated.
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