Lecture: Bauchi Gov. tasks media on national consciousness, reconciliation

Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State says the media must help in national reconciliation and create national consciousness, that values justice, merit, and shared destiny.

Mohammed, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum made this appeal on Wednesday at the Third Lateef Jakande Memorial Lecture organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos.

Delivering a lecture on “Journalism and the Challenge of Nation-Building in a Multi-Ethnic Society”, Mohammed, represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr Aminu Gamawa, said that journalism’s role in nation-building remained critical.

He said: “Let me be clear: journalism is not just about reporting events. It is about shaping the nation’s soul.

“In a multi-ethnic society like ours, where language, religion, and geography too often define identity, the media must help create national consciousness — a consciousness that values justice, merit, and shared destiny.

“We must not merely be a federation of ethnicities. We must be a nation of citizens.

“This requires cultivating national ethos: values that transcend our differences. respect for life. rule of law. dignity of labour. truth over tribe.

“I dream of a Nigeria where children are not judged by their surname, their state of origin, or their place of worship, but by the content of their character and the strength of their service.

“That dream can become reality—with the right leadership, and with the right media,” he said.

Describing Jakande as a journalist, public servant and patriot, Mohammed said that the lecture was not merely to celebrate a life, but to renew a purpose: the purpose of journalism in the service of nation-building “especially in our richly diverse but often divided society”.

Commending the NGE for sustaining this important tradition, Mohammed applauded the guild’s commitment to dialogue, saying “remembrance is not only noble — it is necessary”.

Expressing the power of the press as immortal, the governor said that the Nigerian press laid the foundation for the nation’s freedom, though it had endured and resisted oppression in many forms.

Mohammed said: “Indeed, there is hardly any profession better suited to train future public servants than journalism.

“For the journalist is trained to listen, to investigate, to challenge power, and above all–to serve the public interest.

“That was the philosophy of Alhaji Lateef Jakande.

“As governor of Lagos State, his journalistic values became governance values: simplicity, honesty, accessibility, and efficiency.

“Jakande governed with the pen still in his heart, even if not in his hand.”

Mohammed, however, noted that some media houses lacked the institutional discipline to be the watchdogs they aspired to be.

“Young journalists are often exploited, poorly trained, and handed a pen without principles.

“You cannot promote ethics in society if your own house is in disorder. Journalists must not only write truth — they must live it.

“The veterans must mentor. The institutions must reform. And we must invest in civic education, media literacy, and training that equips the next generation with not just tools — but with a mission,” Mohammed said.

He challenged the media on the defence of/ the rule of law, demand for credible leadership, championing of national reconciliation, promoting of civic education and language inclusion and housekeeping.

“Our survival as a nation is not optional. It is imperative. Our size gives us leverage.

“Our diversity, properly harnessed, is strength. Our shared history binds us more than it divides.

“Our natural resources can fuel prosperity — if managed with integrity. Let the Nigerian media be the spark of that integrity.

“Here was a man (Jakande) who lived simply, governed wisely, and died with dignity.

“He never used his office to build empires. He built schools. He built houses. He built people.

“Let his life be a reminder that power is not what we hold — it is what we do with what we hold.

“To my colleagues in journalism: remain steadfast. Remain principled. Remain patriotic.

“Even when others falter, let the Nigerian press be remembered as “the last men and women standing.”