Former military head of state, Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida (IBB) says he likes the debate going on in the media.
There have been debate on social media, especially between supporters of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi and their All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
There are also debates and talks on both the boradcast and print media as the political atmosphere heat up.
Speaking with journalists in Minna, the Niger capital on Tuesday, as part of activities to commemorate his birthday, Babangida said he is excited as to the debate in the media, but called on Nigerians to be prayerful and united.
“I plead with us to be patient with one another and be prayerful for God’s intervention in our socio-economic and political activities,” he said.
“We need to continue to sensitise people on how to live in peace and harmony for peace, progress and for the continuous existence as a nation.”
He also advised the media to support efforts to promote the country’s unity.
“You should put in more deliberate efforts to change the Nigerian narrative. If the media and journalists ignore the spreaders of hate, they will not have a platform to pass their messages across,” NAN quoted him as saying.
“You are doing enough to promote the unity of the country. You can change the psyche of Nigerians.
“I implore you to ignore those that preach hate and disunity. Ignore them and don’t bother about them. You can only do this through objective reportage and I like the debate that is ongoing in the media.
“It is giving the people the insight that they need to see. What the media is doing now is very good.”
The former head of state clocks 81 on August 17, 2022.
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