Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadri Mohammed, on Saturday urged the media to use their reportage in uniting Nigerians following series of protests against police brutality.
Nigerian youths have since the 8th October 2020 engaged in peaceful protests across the country, calling for an end to police brutality.
The protests have since gained support around the world with celebrities, among others joining the protests on social media.
Reacting to the protests, Governor Mohammed, while speaking with journalists in his country home at Yelwan Duguri in Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state, shortly after casting his vote in the state’s local government elections, said though the police have their limitations, the country still needs them to maintain peace and order.
He said because of this, the media should not heat the polity by writing sensational reports, declaring that the ongoing End SARS protests have polarised the country now.
“Nigeria is so much divided now in the face of the ongoing protests against the SARS unit of the police.
“You as journalists should not aggravate the situation but should unite Nigerians by disseminating the right information such that will not heat the polity,” Governor Mohammed advised.
Speaking on the local government elections in the state, the governor said his administration conducted the elections to allow the people of the state exercise their universal suffrage through which they will elect their leaders at the local level.
This, he said, was part of his electioneering promises ahead of the last general elections which brought him into office that his administration will conduct one of the most credible local government elections in the history of the state since 2008.
“This is one of those things we are doing that we are very happy that at least, we are salvaging our campaign promises.
“I have promised the people of Bauchi and people of Nigeria that Bauchi State is going to have the most credible local government elections in the history of the state since 2008.
“It is not because we are better or we are geniuses, it is just because we have to go by the rule of law and fear of Allah,” he said.
Governor Mohammed said the voting exercise is peaceful as he has not heard of any incident of election malpractices from any of the councils
He assured of his administration’s commitment and readiness to bring more dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
