The Vice Chancellor, University of Uyo, Prof Nyaudoh Ndaeyo has urged the media to stop painting Nigeria as a war zone.
Ndaeyo, who made the appeal over the weekend at the First Biennial International Conference on Dialogue and Pan-Africanism and celebration of the first International African Day in Nigeria, stressed that such false impressions put the country in bad light and scared away visitors.
The VC, who was represented by Prof. Aniekan Offiong, Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration at the 2-day event which had the theme: “Pan-Africanism: Dialoguing the Past, Present, and Future”, said there had been a lot of progress, development, and inventions in Africa, which the media should also project.
He said though Nigeria and indeed Africa had been navigating through a period of hunger, unemployment and poverty, there was hope that the conference would address the issues and proffer solutions to them.
His words, “Africans are here, we were the first to be here and would be the greatest always. The present is even more difficult to navigate with wars, hunger, poverty, unemployment.
“It is my hope that this conference will address all these issues and eradicate them in Africa.
“It was not easy for our founding fathers, they had no resources, there were no roots, but they were able to navigate and bring Africa to where we are. Africa is not all about wars, there has been a lot of progress, a lot of developments, a lot of inventions, a lot of firsts.
“Nigeria is where it is because the news media is also our problem. Some people cannot come to Nigeria because they think it is in a perpetual state of war, it is a very peaceful place to be in.”
Speaking at the occasion, President, The Pan-African Dialogue Institute (TPADI), Dr Effiong Joseph Udo, said the maiden International Conference on Dialogue and Pan-Africanism, in collaboration with University of Uyo, provides an opportunity for scholars, thought leaders, and policymakers as well as ordinary citizens from across and beyond the continent to engage in meaningful dialogues, share insights, strengthen connections with one another, and chart a course towards a more united, peaceful and prosperous Africa.
“The significance of these events encapsulates the Institute’s commitment to reviving the best values of Pan-Africanism – the ideals of unity and collaboration, self-determination, freedom and dignity of the African people worldwide, as well as the celebration of African cultural heritage.
“It is equally a mark of our resolve to stimulate positive change across our beloved continent.
“For the University of Uyo, the conference marks the beginning of making this university the global centre for the study, practice and propagation of Pan-Africanism,” he stated.
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