The Deputy Governor of Abia State, Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, has reminded the media of its constitutional responsibility of holding the government at all levels accountable.

Sir Oko Chukwu made this wake up call at the 4th edition of the ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER Media Summit/Award Event, held on Thursday, December 9, 2021.

The event which held at Dangrete Hotel Umuahia, the capital city of the State had different caliber of personalities from all walks of life gracing the event.

The Deputy governor who was the guest speaker for the media summit, spoke extensively on the theme; “The Role of Media on Democratic Advancement.”

He noted that the Primary role of the Media is to report factual and balanced news, hold Government accountable, speak truth to power and not get into bed with it.

“The Primary role/job of the Media is to report the news factually with balance in a socially responsible manner. The Media as it were, is to hold Government accountable, speak truth to power and not get into bed with it. Some would even say, it is their role to make life difficult for the power that be.

I cannot imagine modern society without the Mass Media. Drawing it closer home, we cannot imagine Abia State or any part of our country Nigeria without the Media Practitioners. The Media as a matter of fact, is an integral element for the existence and survival of any modern society. It is an Undisputable fact that the responsibilities of the Media are just too massive and fascinating.”

The deputy governor said, for the media to advance democracy, it must live up to its responsibilities which include; holding public officers accountable and acting as middlemen between the government and the masses.

“…if we must continue to nurture and advance democracy, the Media shall monitor governance. The Government as the seat of State power should be constantly watched and scrutinized in an attempt to check and expose any abuse of that power.

Abuse of power leads to lawlessness and lack of order and democracy collapses under the weight of those two anomalies. The Press, thus becomes an instruments working on behalf of the people to bring their Government to account for their actions and inactions.”

He regretted that corruption which has eaten deep into the fabrics of the society, still act as a stumbling block to the true nature of democracy. However, he charged that the media must remain adamant in uncovering political, corporate and economic corruption, abuse of powers, etc.

“It is pertinent for me to re-emphasize that corruption and other forms of abuse of power stifle democracy. Consequently, the Media as the voice of the people must act as a watchdog by uncovering political, corporate and economic corruption, abuse of power and ineptitudes. As the social watch dog, the Media set agenda and provide the citizens with the frames for understanding social issues which they report on. The social responsibility mandate of the Media demands that they scrutinize social institutions and provide objective, accurate news reportage.”

Sir Oko Chukwu added; “It is important that we take note of the facts that, to scrutinize does not mean to mindlessly criticize. No democracy can grow if the Media is only bent on mindlessly criticizing the Government and all social institutions. I am sure that we are aware of the development and Media theory of the press which state that Media, particularly in developing societies should partner the Government to facilitate the development. Therefore Media professionals must begin to see themselves as part of governance.”

Speaking on the flaws of media practitioners, the deputy governor regretted that the media and its professionals have not done well in ensuring that electoral processes in Nigeria are portrayed in its right sense, rather media practitioners dish out biased, unfair information of political parties and their candidates.

“Some Media practitioners are still giving a place to fake news in their publications. Fake and unverified news is dangerous. It is better to not have information at all than to have a wrong or fake one. When in doubt of the authenticity of a story, verify it; if you are still in doubt, do not publish it. There should be no place in the newsroom for fake stories and tall tales. Facts must be sacred and should not be tampered with, no matter the pressure.

“Some practitioners disregard their wider obligation to the public in favour of the highest bidders. News has become a commercial product that is sold to the highest bidder. Important developments are pushed aside for sponsored news stories. These journalists who commercialize news stories forget that they violate the ethics and code of conduct of journalism, they affect information flow and this leads to distortion of the news.

“For the most part, Media practice has become an all-comers’ affair. Journalism as a profession especially in Nigerian has been hijacked by quacks. There are gate-crashers in the Media these days, who do not receive professional training to become journalists.

“Sadly, Nigerian Journalists are still succumbing to myriads of ethical problems ranging from bribery, withholding information, disclosure of sources of information, self interest, sycophancy, character assassination, plagiarism, invasion of privacy among others.

On the challenges faced by the media, he added;

“The challenges that Media practitioners face in Nigeria range from remuneration, stifled press freedom, poor technological facilities and many others. Unarguably the political economy of press freedom is too weak to support qualitative and accountability journalism in our country Nigeria. The Nigerian Press as It were is too poor to hold the powerful to account.

I am aware that Nigerian Journalists are still experiencing degree of assault from security agencies and mobs.”

The number 2 citizen in Abia state re-affirmed that; “the Media have the potential to encourage democratic development by being objective and responsible in their reportage and giving people a voice and providing a window for transparency in Government.”

He added that it is only the media that has contributed more to the democratic process in Nigeria and will remain the only institution that can proffer democratic.

Other Personalities at the event were; Rtd. Gen. Ijioma N. Ijioma, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, the member representing Isialangwa north LGA, Hon. Chima Agbaeze, Chairman, Isuikwuato LGA, Dr. Chima Desmond Anyaso, CSP Chukwuemeka Okezie Ubani, Barrister Chinomso Ibe Onwuchekwa Hon. Augustine  Akomas, Dr. Iroemeha Christain Ike, Chief Obiaruko Ndukwe, Hon. Chukwu Chijioke, Chief Alphonsus E. Udeigbo, Chief Raymond Onyinye Ofoegbu, Senator T.A. Orji, Rt. Hon. Dr. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Michael Oni, Pastra Arinze Etie, Promise Uzoma Okoro (PUO), Sir Etomchukwu Harris Alaekwe Uba, High Chief Obi Aguocha, Ifeanyi Elvis Ogbonna, among others.

Highlight of the event was presentation of awards, presentation of N100,000 and N50,000 cash prizes respectively to the winner of the Humanitarian award and a physically challenged person including 3 plasma televisions to winners of the media award categories.

 

SEE THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR’S FULL PRESENTATION:

THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN DEMOCRATIC ADVANCEMENT

BEING

A PAPER PRESENTED BY THE DUPUTY GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE RT.HON. SIR UDE OKO CHUKWU PHD AT THE 2021 ANNUEL ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER MEDIA SUMMIT/AWARD EVENT HOLDING ON THURSDAY 9TH DECEMBER 2021 AT DAMGRETE HOTEL UMUAHIA.

Protocol,

I feel greatly honoured to be here today as the Guest Speaker on this occasion of the 2021 Annual Media Summit / Award Event put together by All Facts Newspaper.

I thank the organizers of this event for finding me worthy to speak on the theme ”The Role Of The Media In Democratic Advancement”. I must say that the theme is indeed wide enough to be a doctoral treatise but I will to the best of my ability as a non Media person, make the presentation as short and concise as possible.

The Primary role/job of the Media is to report the news factually with balance in a socially responsible manner. The Media as it were, is to hold Government accountable, speak truth to power and not get into bed with it. Some would even say, it is their role to make life difficult for the power that be.

I cannot imagine modern society without the Mass Media. Drawing it closer home, we cannot imagine Abia State or any part of our country Nigeria without the Media Practitioners. The Media as a matter of fact, is an integral element for the existence and survival of any modern society. It is an Undisputable fact that the responsibilities of the Media are just too massive and fascinating. It is therefore, an honour for me to be with you today and to interact with you on The Role of Media in a very key aspect of society’s and that is Democratic Advancement.

By Media, I mean the institutions of Mass Communications Such as Radio, Television, Newspaper, Magazine and most recently New Media. These are collective means of communication by the general public is kept informed about the day to day happenings in society.

By democratic advancement, I mean institutionalization of electoral principles of popular sovereignty, popular consultation, political and economic equality and majority rule in a way that cannot be compromised. Of course, we often define democracy as Government of the people by the people and for the people as enunciated by the father of democracy and former President of the United State of America, Abraham Lincon. You would notice that the words ”people” is rightly repeated in this brief definition. This stands to mean that the essence of a democracy is for the good of the people.

Before I talk about the role of media in advancing democracy in Abia State and Nigeria as I am required to do, let me emphasize that the very foundation of the independence and democracy that we enjoy today in Nigeria was led by the Mass Media. Yes, we cannot talk about advancing what we do not have. We can only talk about advancing democracy because we having democracy and the ground work of this democracy was led by the Media.

If you make an argument that Nigeria would still be under military or even colonial rule today or would have not gained independence when she did if not for the instrumentality of the Media, you would be right, As a matter of fact, the most brazen set of journalists this country has produced were those who practice during the colonial and military rules. They sacrificed their lives and freedom to ensure that we have the democracy that we talk about and practice today.

In military era, the Media went face to face with soldiers, criticized them, mobilized the citizens against them, exposed cases of corruption and abuse of power and demanded that they leave office, which they eventually did on 29th of may 1999. In the colonial era, the Media insisted that the right to self-determination and independence was not negotiable and they harried the colonial masters with relentless activism and agitations until we gained Independence on 1st October 1960.

Christianity may have brought the first Newspaper and Printing press to Nigeria but the Earliest Newspapers, Magazines, Radios and Television were established to propagate the ideas and ideals of nationalism and democracy. so, you see that the Media have been playing a key role in establishing democratic structures since Nigeria became a Nation-State. They deserve massive credits and a resounding applause for that.

Nevertheless, democracy must be nurtured and advanced. Nigeria as a nation has had a chequered democratic history. The country has had a troubled democratic experience since the first experiment in democratic governance in 1960. Military interventions had aborted attempts at democratic governance in 1966, 1983 and 1993. But 22 years after democracy was restored in Nigeria in 1999, we can be sure that democracy has come to stay.

However, the focus must now turn to how to advance our democracy. We cannot continue to described our democracy as nascent as 22 years can no longer be nascent. To nurture and advance democracy, the media has vital role to play. The Media institutions are central to the process of ensuring the institutionalization, operationalization and sustenance of a formidable democratic process in Abia State in particular and Nigeria at large.

To advance democracy, the Media must be alive to their responsibilities. They must make/hold public officers accountable to the people as provided in sections 22 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (As amended). This section of the 1999 Constitution recognizes the sacred role of the Media in advancing democracy and good governance. It states that ”The Press, Radio, Television and other Agencies of the Mass Media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people”.

What that section of the Constitution stipulates is that, if we must continue to nurture and advance democracy, the Media shall monitor governance. The Government as the seat of State power should be constantly watched and scrutinized in an attempt to check and expose any abuse of that power. Abuse of power leads to lawlessness and lack of order and democracy collapses under the weight of those two anomalies. The Press, thus becomes an instruments working on behalf of the people to bring their Government to account for their actions and inactions.

It is pertinent for me to re-emphasize that corruption and other forms of abuse of power stifle democracy. Consequently, the Media as the voice of the people must act as a watchdog by uncovering political, corporate and economic corruption, abuse of power and ineptitudes. As the social watch dog, the Media set agenda and provide the citizens with the frames for understanding social issues which they report on. The social responsibility mandate of the Media demands that they scrutinize social institutions and provide objective, accurate news reportage.

It is important that we take note of the facts that, to scrutinizes does not mean to mindlessly criticize. No democracy can grow if the Media is only bent on mindlessly criticizing the Government and all social institutions. I am sure that we are aware of the development and Media theory of the press which state that Media, particularly in developing societies should partner the Government to facilitate the development. Therefore Media professionals must begin to see themselves as part of governance.

When Edmund Burke called the press the Fourth Estate of the Realm, he meant that they are the fourth pillar in support of the essential tripod of Government which includes the Executive, the Legislature and Judiciary. The Media serves as the mechanical, social and economic rope that binds the three other realms of governance to the social fabrics of society.

If democracy must be advanced, freedom of speech must be entrenched. The Government should not put the Media under its control. This is one of the things that makes me proud of my boss and Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu. He has allowed the Media to Flourish unhindered in God’s Own State. They have been cases of the brutalization and humiliation of journalists in other parts of the country. In Abia State, you will not hear of such inhuman treatment because the Governor understands the value that journalists bring to the democratic table and he knows the importance of freedom of speech in modern democracies.

Apart from situations where the Government puts the Media under its control, there are even times when private owners of Media outfits become guilty of what is known as self or official censorship by trying to control the content and purpose of their Media houses and their publications. This is wrong. When the Media becomes the official megaphones of the Government in power or private owners, there is no way that the principles of democracy can be advanced.

In a democratic dispensation, the Media has ethical standards to protect, Media practitioners should not engage in character assassination, sycophancy, editorializiation (that is presenting your opinion instead of facts), bowing to undue pressure, bribery, sensationalism (that is exaggeration of facts), brown envelop syndrome and plagiarism. If they do so, they will compromise Media integrity, Media content and Media value as well as reduce the expected from the public towards the Media Institution.

If not for the general good of society, the Media should even fight for democratic stability and advancement for their own sake. Democracy essentially provides a much healthier environment for the Media.  Normatively, the Media almost always takes the form and coloration of the political system in which it exists. If there is a military rule, freedom of expression is subdued and free Press is forbidden. If there is a Communist Government, freedom of speech is absent and the press becomes a mere mega phone of the Communist regime.

If there is young and what I will call cautious democracy, there is relative press freedom but elements of authoritarianism are seen in the Media Industry. However, when there is advanced democracy, then they will be libertarian principles that encourage free speech and vibrant journalism. Therefore, by encouraging Media professionals to help advance democracy, I am equally encouraging them to help build an environment of free speech and vibrant journalism.

The Media have the responsibility to ensure that the wheel of electoral process grinds and moves in the right direction. However, thus has not always been the case in our country Nigeria. I am saying so because, our country has had a history of some Media practitioners disappointing us and frustrating the essence of their profession. In one of the past elections in Nigeria, a European Union Election observer noted that Media performance during the Nigerian Election was so flawed as practitioners failed to provide unbiased, fair and informative coverage of political parties and candidates contesting the election.

There is another problem: some Media practitioners are still giving a place to fake news in their publications. Fake and unverified news is dangerous. It is better to not have information at all than to have a wrong or fake one. When in doubt of the authenticity of a story, verify it; if you are still in doubt, do not publish it. There should be no place in the newsroom for fake stories and tall tales. Facts must be sacred and should not be tampered with, no matter the pressure.

Some practitioners disregard their wider obligation to the public in favour of the highest bidders. News has become a commercial product that is sold to the highest bidder. Important developments are pushed aside for sponsored news stories. These journalists who commercialize news stories forget that they violate the ethics and code of conduct of journalism, they affect information flow and this leads to distortion of the news.

For the most part, Media practice has become an all-comers’ affair. Journalism as a profession especially in Nigerian has been hijacked by quacks. There are gate-crashers in the Media these days, who do not receive professional training to become journalists. The Nigerian Press today is being accused of conducting or engaging in non-professional activities and this has been the bane of journalism in Nigeria. So, it is not a surprise when these kinds of journalists disregard the tenets of the profession and turn it into a private franchise.

Sadly, Nigerian Journalists are still succumbing to myriads of ethical problems ranging from bribery, withholding information, disclosure of sources of information, self interest, sycophancy, character assassination, plagiarism, invasion of privacy among others. The challenges that Media practitioners face in Nigeria range from remuneration, stifled press freedom, poor technological facilities and many others. Unarguably the political economy of press freedom is too weak to support qualitative and accountability journalism in our country Nigeria. The Nigerian Press as It were is too poor to hold the powerful to account.

I am aware that Nigerian Journalists are still experiencing degree of assault from security agencies and mobs. Just recently, five men attacked a reporter and editor with a privately owned station in Kogi State, beating him until he lost consciousness. In a similar development, a journalist was recently killed while covering a demonstration in Abuja. These are just  a few of many similar recent incidences in Nigeria. Another challenge borders around a report I read the other day of how journalists in a private stations are grossly underpaid and often times owned for a long period. I perceive that as a situation that might affect the practitioner’s ability to adhere to the ethical principle of objectivity and instead go out of their way to commercialize stories and distort facts.  

I am also aware that there is a deadline for a complete digital switch-over of broadcast stations in Nigeria and all over the world. However, we have not achieved that in Nigeria and the deadlines for Nigeria have repeatedly been shifted because of the lack of requisite digital technologies that are needed for the switch-over and the marching manpower. This situation posses a great challenge on the Media landscape in Nigeria because digitalization would have offered those in broadcast journalism better audio-visual production, better content, more stations and more professionalism. For those of you in the print Media, you can have better production and distribution with digital facilities.

Let me note here in passing, that we in Abia State have achieved the digital switch-over of Broadcast Corporation of Abia State (BCA). It is time for our democracy to move forward. It is time also for the Media Practitioners in Abia State and Nigeria in general to understand the basic tenets of reporting in a way that will help to facilitate the advancement of our democracy. The people ( that is the electorate ), need to be well informed to be good citizens of this country. Journalists must learn what is of interest to the electorate and provide them with report that are useful to them. It is not enough to perform the news function of journalism and present the basic facts of the day’s news to the people. The Journalism must help the people to make sense of those new stories through interpretative reportage.

Learning how to intelligently give people the news behind the news, so that they can help them to make and informed decision on electoral matters, the journalists should provide sufficient voter education, information, mobilization and monitoring. They should also provide up-to-date information on the registration of voters, display of voters list, registration of political parties, the conduct of party primaries, congresses, conventions, electioneering and the election proper.

Journalists are real purveyors of the electoral process. Media Mobilization is so important as all efforts in the electoral process will be a waste of time if the electorates or voters fails to turn out to cast their voted on election days. To this end, the extent to which the Media succeed in mobilizing the citizens to participate in the electoral process will largely determine the depth and strength of our democracy.

To strengthen the democratic process in Nigeria, Media professionals must be familiar with relevant extent laws. They must be acquainted with their rights and responsibilities. I enjoin Media practitioners not to be people who will take money and then look the other way when an election is being rigged or when any sort of electoral malpractices is going on.

The journalist needs to demonstrate a strong sense of patriotism and live above shortcomings such as ethnicism and religious fanaticism. Provocative remarks, comments and appeal to improper religious and ethics sentiments by politicians should not be included in your Media reportage. The 3 Rs than can destroy the ability of the journalist to help drive democratic advancement and also push his/her career to the next level are: Race ( ethnicity, Religion and Rumour. Journalists should be careful when they report them (the 3Rs).

The Media and the Government must see themselves as complementary and not adversaries. Journalists should not see the Government as rivals but as partners in Progress in democratic advancement. Government on its part must always ensure the protection of Media establishments and their practitioners.

In conclusion our democracy can be stronger and better if Media practitioners can all be alive to their sacred responsibilities. Journalists must show resilience and uncommon prodigy. The Media have the potential to encourage democratic development by being objective and responsible in their reportage and giving people a voice and providing a window for transparency in Government. Accountability is at the heart of the work of the Media and has to be pursued vigorously.

It is an incontrovertible fact that no institution has contributed more to the democratic process in Nigeria than the Media and no institution can take us further in democratic advancement more than the Mass Media can.

Thank you for your patient attention and to God be the glory.