Integrating Ethnic Interests In Nigeria For Unity Through The Media

The media in every society are part of the government but not of the government. This is why the media are seen and regarded as the fourth arm of government after the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The media are of the government because no government universally, can function effectively devoid of the media. On the other hand, the media are not of the government because they function to guide and guard the government from itself and therefore cannot be part of it. It takes the unbiased, objective observer to appreciate the intricacies of governance and that is what makes the media a force to reckon with: their relative objectivity; relative because man is by nature not impeccable. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic society in dire need of unity, of integration and of cohesion. This is a task that needs the most logical, intellectual, rational and objective minds to tackle. These minds reside among media workers and practitioners who can take the challenge of re-orienting these ethnic interests on the need for unity and peaceful co-existence. This paper is channelled towards addressing how the media can help Nigeria in the task of achieving national integration and unity. Before this can be done however, the media must be free from all forms of control. It uses the literary research method to interrogate the ways the media can achieve this. It concludes that the issues of national cohesion, unity and peaceful coexistence are a matter of choice and the media can help the differing ethnic interests to make this choice