Journalists and church leaders have been urged to be in the vanguard of curbing corruption in the country.
The call was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the July fellowship meeting of Journalists for Christ (JFC) in Lagos.
The theme of the fellowship was “The Role of the Media and the Church In curbing corruption in Nigeria”.
Participants at the meeting noted that corruption exists in the media and in the church, and it has eaten very deep into these sectors, just as it has in the societal polity.
They noted that the earlier the corruption in the media and Churches is addressed before the country can win the battle against the social malaise.
“People do not have a full understanding of what corruption really means. The issue of corruption is something that is bigger than what our perspective of it can capture,” contributors to the discussion stated.
Journalists were advised on the need to find ways of enhancing their capabilities to know what is right and what is wrong, in order to avoid generating and disseminating the wrong content.
Media owners were also urged to ensure that journalists employed in their organizations are well trained, well paid, and well catered for.
For the Church, participants noted that messages of prosperity preached in churches should be balanced with the message of contentment.
“There should be a feedback system in churches, and people should be given the opportunity to air their views.
“Core values of honesty and integrity should be upheld and should serve as a guide in our decision making process, “ the communiqué stated.
The programme, which had 25 participants drawn from media and allied professional groups including journalism students, print, broadcast and online journalists as well as representatives from different Christian faith reporters, entailed a panel discussion on the theme with contributions from participants.
The panel had three speakers; Mr. Gbenga Osinaike (Publisher, Church Times Nigeria), Mrs. Ugonma Cokey (Assistant Director, Voice of Nigeria) and Pastor Evans Adetokunbo Emmanuel (President, Grace Missions International). Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, President, JFC and Managing Editor, online, the Nation Newspaper moderated the event.
