Media publicity transfers negative attitude to youths, students — Maku

Gubernatorial Candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Nasarawa state Mr Labaran Maku, has accused the mass media of negatively influencing the youth in the country.

Maku, the immediate past Minister of Information, said this while addressing students of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, at St Michael the Arch-Angel’s Chaplaincy.

The former minister blamed the increasing violence in the country on the influence of mass media, social media and the internet.

“But with the advent of mass media and other means of communication so many negative things are being transferred to the youths,” he said.

According to the governorship hopeful, some youth adopt the negative aspect of the mass media messages as a way of life because of their inability to absorb and understand them.

Maku said the media should reduce reportage of violence and related events because the massive publicity tends to encourage some youth to take on violent attitude for the thrill.

"What is going on is that whenever a criminal or terrorist has done something, the media stops everything they are doing to publicise it," he said.

“That has a way of affecting the psyche of the youths negatively, hence the need to reduce publicising attacks by terrorists and other criminal activities."

He urged the students not to be involved in electoral violence before, during and after the polls and called on media houses to contribute to government efforts towards discouraging violence amongst youths.