Date: 13 th February, 2024
Venue: Department of Mass Communication, Kano State Polytechnic
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in collaboration with the
Department of Mass Communication, Kano State Polytechnic organized a one-day lecture in
celebration of World Radio Day. The program was held at the Department of Mass
Communication, School of General Studies, Kano State Polytechnic.
The aims of organizing the one day lecture which was title Radio and Peacebuilding was to raise
awareness among the students about the value of public service audio; encourage decision
makers to promote free, independent, pluralistic radio and raise the students’ awareness on
the importance of Radio and how to use it to promote peace in the society.
In his opening remarks, the Lead, Media Team, Centre for Information Technology and
Development (CITAD), Mr. Ali Sabo stated that the essence of organizing the event is to bring
out the importance of radio in sending messages, promoting peace, entertainment and
informing the general public on critical issues in the community. Speaking further, Mr. Sabo said
as students of journalism it is important for the participants to understand the power of Radio
in sending messages to large number of people, which he said, could either be used for good or
bad. According to him the essence of focusing the theme of the lecture to “Radio and
Peacebuilding” is to widen the understanding of the students about the power of the radio in
promoting peace in the society.
In his remarks, the chair of the discussion, Mallam Salihu Sule Khalid of the Department of Mass
Communication, Kano State Polytechnic said the role of the radio in promoting peace in the
society cannot be over emphasized due to its cost effective and affordability among the rural
communities. Mallam Khalid said, several governments both within and outside the country are
utilizing radio to propagate peace and calm down tension during crises. He however noted that
it can also be used to inflict harm and escalate violence in the community just as in the case of
Rwanda. He implored the students to attentively listen to what would be discussed as it would
help them in their career development.
After the chair’s remarks, the resources person, Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Danja of the
Department of Information and Media Studies, Bayero University, Kano presented a paper
titled “Radio and Peacebuilding”. Dr. Danja started his presentation by taking the participants
through the evolution of radio and its importance in the society. He then discussed on the
concept of peacebuilding, emphasizing on its essence which involved reinforcing the prospects
for peace and minimizing the likelihood of further violence through targeted interventions
aimed at restoring order and creating conditions conducive to sustainable peace.
Radio serves as a pivotal instrument in peacebuilding efforts in Nigeria, acting as a catalyst for
peace promotion and conflict resolution within the country. Various radio stations employ
communication strategies tailored towards these goals, including conflict resolution programs
and the promotion of indigenous languages. The effectiveness of radio in this context lies in its
ability to disseminate information widely, foster dialogue among diverse communities, and
mitigate conflicts both during and after periods of strife. Mr. Danja stated.
Speaking further, the university don mentioned that radio stations in the country can employ
various strategies to promote peacebuilding and overcome challenges. Some of the strategies
he mentioned include:
Contextualized Peacebuilding Strategies: Developing and implementing peacebuilding
initiatives tailored to the specific conflict dynamics and communities in Nigeria, focusing on
conflict resolution, peaceful coexistence, and fostering harmonious relationships among
conflicting groups.
Secondly; Indigenous Language Promotion: he also stated that promoting and preserving
indigenous languages through radio programming, fostering cultural identity and linguistic
diversity to enhance communication and community engagement will help greatly in promoting
peace in the communities
Then; Translation and Communication Strategies: according to Dr. Danja, adopting appropriate
translation methods to ensure effective communication of messages in bilingual programs,
bridging language barriers and reaching a wider audience is another means that will help in
promoting peace in the communities
Furthermore, he added that, Community Engagement and Participation help in Facilitating
community engagement and participation by creating inclusive radio programs that will provide
access to diverse segments of society, including the rich, the poor, and marginalized groups will
help in communicating peacebuilding messages to the communities
And finally, Dr. Danja said collaboration with Civil Society Organizations involved in
peacebuilding is another strategy that the media organizations can use to amplify efforts,
disseminate information, organize discussions, and address grievances to find solutions to
conflicts in the communities.
Moreover, discussing further on the importance of radio, the university don said the media,
particularly radio stations, have played crucial roles in peacebuilding by facilitating civil society
interactions and dialogue. Through various programs and platforms, the media have provided
avenues for communities to voice their grievances, concerns, share information, and generate
solutions to potential conflict triggers. Despite its potential to exacerbate conflicts, the media
have demonstrated their capacity to restore peace and reconcile communities, serving as a
"double-edged sword" in peacebuilding efforts. Through open articulation of conflicts and
collaborative problem-solving, the media have contributed to breaking stalemates and initiating
dialogue and negotiations towards finding common ground. He added.
Commenting at the event, Mallam Abubakar Tijjani Ibrahim, the Head of Department, Mass
Communication Department, Kano State Polytechnic noted that event like this is very critical to
the growth and development of journalism students, due to the fact that most of the topics to
be discussed are beyond what being taught in class. Commenting further, Mr. Abubakar said it
is well-known fact among the media practitioners and media owners that radio has significant
roles when it comes to building peace in the communities. Radio has the largest audience
among the communication components use in mass media, and because of that media
practitioners have to be very careful on how they present their information to their audience.
Mr. Tijjani cautioned. He also noted that in some circumstances media practitioners are allow
to suppress some facts if they are not of public good or they can cause harm or excavate
conflict in the society.
After the presentations and discussions participants asked questions and commented on the
topics discussed at the lecture. The event was graced by 123 participants from the department
of Mass Communication of Kano State Polytechnic.