Vision Africa Radio founder charges media on truth

Media practitioners in the country have been advised to always stand by the truth as the country does not want another war, in order to build a strong and virile society for Nigerian children to enjoy.

The President/founder, Vision Africa Radio, VAR Umuahia Bishop Dr. Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha handed down this advice weekend while unfolding the radio’s plans and determination to make Nigeria communities strong for effective development through media training and other outreach programmes.

The VAR outreach programme tagged “Nothing But The Truth”, the founder said would also accommodate church planting, medical outreach, public lecture, orphanage and media engineering training that will last for ten days.

Flanked by VAR foreign media partners, mostly media pastors (10) from Dallas in Texas of USA, including the Board Chairman of VAR in Dallas, Texas, Thomas Leiser, others from Canada, Congo, Kenya and other African countries, Bishop Onuaha said “We want to encourage the media that we don’t want war, but to build a strong society for our children”.

He further said “There are some truths you tell and the country will be engulfed in flames. Some truths must be suppressed in order not to set the society on fire”, pointing out that though there are challenges in some parts of the country, especially in the North, stating “it is not particular to the North, but should be looked at globally by the media to be able to deal with the situation”.

“People are making mistakes calling herdsmen ‘Fulani Herdsmen’, but there are some Fulanis that don’t like the activities of herdsmen”, he said advising “Let us call evil by its name than baptizing it”, and urged people to forget about narrow thinking and treat issues as they are, not to affiliate issue to tribe or religion.

The VAR founder/President said the objective of the 2018 outreach was to help build the media in Nigeria and Africa in general on how to build a better society that is diverse, urging that the media is not supposed to be silent at any time, but must be out to tell the truth.

He commended the Nigeria press as doing well in telling the story, stating however, that “the truth may be suppressed but it will surface”.

Bishop Onuoha who is a Methodist by faith used the opportunity to advice media employers that they should know that their media staff and their relations must be happy in order to work effectively, and should therefore be paid.

He also advised media owners that the media industry is not for money making, but selfless service and urging them to know that their workers are being tormented while on duty.

Bishop Onuoha disclosed that VAR has been helpful to IT students, media workers and others through its media outreach for the young people to have media experience.

Speaking, the Chief Imam of Lagos Street, Umuahia Central Mosque, Imam Misbaudeen Raji said peace can only come from God alone, while commending VAR as a good radio station throughout the south east.

The problem in the country, he said is also global, stating that Prophet Mohammed abhors crime and selfish desires, describing what is happening in the country as “a problem of human society”.