By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
A Non-Governmental Organization, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), has blamed some elites and politicians in the country as the major culprits involved in promoting hate speeches.
Yunusa Zakari Yau, the Executive Director of the Centre who made the accusation during a press conference in Bauchi, noted that the press has only been the conduit pipe through which hate speeches are passed.
Yau presented 2 books published by his organization, and expressed dismay over prevalence of hate speech among the diverse people of Nigeria.
He explained that hate speech is one of the major factor heating up the nation’s polity, saying hate speeches has made it impossible for communities to collectively rise up and confront the challenges bedeviling the country.
The Director said, “Today, we would like to present to the public, two books recently published by Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)â€.
He gave title of the first book as; The Compromised State, ‘How Corruption Sustains Insecurity in Nigeria’, and the second one is ‘Context and Content In Hate Speech, Discourse In Nigeriaâ€
According to him, the two books have identified how challenges posed by hate speech and corruption badly affected the people of Nigeria at the same time suggesting solutions to them
The centre director said that the two books are talking about three related issues which include looking at the nexus between corruption and insecurity.
He recalled that the present administration was first elected in 2015 on the bases of its perceived ability to fight insecurity and corruption, lamenting however that the security situation in the country today has become so pervasive and widespread.
Zakari Ya’u stated that peace building is the collective responsibility of all, pointing out that the fight against corruption cannot be successful without the support of all Nigerians.
He noted that insecurity in Nigeria has become so pervasive in such a way that the country has graduated from cattle rustling to kidnapping of human beings.
“Before now, our fear was the northeast but today no part of this country is safe. If you ran away from Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, you are likely to encounter banditry or kidnapping in other parts of countryâ€.
 He added, “Injustice is one of the factors that breeds insecurity while the fight against corruption has proved unsuccessful because people perceived it to be the sole responsibility of government at the federal levelâ€.
