The third National Entertainment & Peace Summit was held in Abuja on the 21st of September, 2022.The theme was: 'The role of the entertainment industry in facilitating peaceful elections in Nigeria'. It was indeed a prelude to the 'World Peace Day' celebrated the next day.
The thrust of my presentation at the Summit was that the entertainment industry has the numbers to ensure the effective dissemination of positive messages that would support the work of INEC towards peaceful elections in 2023. The youth are hooked on entertainment - music, drama, skits, social media, etc. The youth are about sixty percent of the populace (conservative estimate). Therefore artistes should be mindful of their story lines in soap operas, stage performance, skits, etc. Instead of acting out mundane story lines, they should encourage scripts that promote societal harmony, inclusivity, respect for human rights, zero tolerance for vote buying and selling, allude to the fact that vote rigging is a crime, etc. I emphasised that there can be no peace without justice...
Mrs. Bejamins-Laniyi said all hands must be on deck to ensure peaceful, credible and fair elections. All politicians should be resolute about keeping their supporters in check, while explaing the importance of non-violence. Other speakers spoke in similar vein...The bottom line is that the entertainment industry, if 'properly' harnessed, could be a veritable tool for ensuring peaceful elections in Nigeria...I look forward to the fourth edition of the Summit in 2003...
