Radio report R2R — It is one of the phenomena that worries people from the North-East the most: political thuggery. The alliance between campaigning politicians and their paid supporters in Nigeria is a recipe for violence, they fear, when the young people go rogue after electoral season is over.
One of my most memorable and enjoyable cooperations in Nigeria I have experienced working with journalists and public relations officers from Nigeria’s North for my program on responsible communication, Responsibility to Report (R2R). We put theory into practice.
We went on the road for recording sessions in Kano, Maiduguri, Yola, Gombe and Bauchi. Main question: what issues do we need to focus on to be able to start rebuilding our communities in the North-East? Political thuggery was one of the things my colleagues wanted to address. We spoke with repenting former thugs, politicians who used them and young men thinking of joining the trade simple because they had no other options. Together we made this report.