Only free press can hold govt accountable – Says, NILDS DG, Prof. Sulaiman

…as German Konrad holds workshop for NASS reporters

Director-General (DG) of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman has said that the media should be free of governmental, political or economic control to hold discussions on public issues and to hold the leaders to account.

He said that millions of Nigeria of people depended on the media report and interpretation to properly understand the issues of governance, which are most of the time very complex.

Sulaiman spoke at beginning of a two capacity workshop organized by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (Konrad), a German political foundation and nongovernmental organization in partnership with NILDS for parliamentary reporters in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said: “The consistent interest by the Institute and KAS in building the capacity of media personnel both within and outside the legislature is not far-fetched. You often serve as the bridge between political actors and decision-makers and the Nigerian public.

As such, millions of people depend on you to report, interpret and simplify very complex governance issues. This makes you the gatekeepers of information and custodians of democratic values and ethos. As aptly summarized by the Centre for Democracy and Governance, access to information is the very lifeline of democracy for at least two reasons.

“First, it ensures that citizens make responsible, informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation. Second, by providing accurate and up-to-date information, the public is better placed to hold their elected representatives accountable.

“For the media to be effective in this regard, the media should be independent of governmental, political or economic control and pluralistic to reflect the broadest possible range of opinions within the country.

The role of media in democracy goes beyond informing the public of the issues that shape their lives to providing spaces for an informed and inclusive public debate and an outlet for the voices and perspectives of citizens, including marginalized ones.

“Consequently, one of the most important roles the media can play is that of building consensus. This is even more critical given the divisive nature of our politics, which has been characterized by antagonism, deliberate propagation of falsehood, ethnic and religious inclinations, and attacks against persons rather than focusing on issues. These issues have combined to inflame an already fragile polity further.”

Sulaiman however regretted that most media practitioners have either jettisoned the ethics of the profession or ignorant of it which has culminated into poor journalism.

He said that the workshop will ultimately deepen the knowledge of reporters in legislative reporting.

“Regrettably, the ethics and professionalism of the media in Nigeria have been seriously questioned. Some of the issues of concern include sensationalism of news which predominantly appeals to emotions.

“In our context, this has taken several forms, including exaggeration of facts to get high ratings or more subscriptions and the use of ‘clickbait’ headlines to boost sales, especially on social media and online platforms.

“Other manifestations include poor quality of reports, often lacking in depth. It is well known that media practitioners in Nigeria often do not possess the appropriate background or education to become professional journalists.

“In the case of the National Assembly, poor coverage over the years has contributed to the negative perception of the parliament by citizens. Such misperceptions are often echoed by the press in a way that tends to set the people against their elected representatives.

“Furthermore, some of the substantive efforts and interventions of the National Assembly in critical areas such as the promotion of national security has been under reported by the press corps.

“I hope this workshop will further deepen your knowledge of the National Assembly and sharpen your skills to report legislative activities and interventions effectively. The Institute and its partners will continue to provide the technical intervention needed for you to perform your jobs better as members of the ‘Fourth Estate of the Realm.

I thank our partner, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and its Country Representative, Marija Peran, for their sustained interest in strengthening the capacity of legislative actors, including the media”, he said.

On her part, the country representative of Konrad, Marija Peran in her remarks said it was important to train journalists covering the national assembly to enable them understand the synergy between democracy and the legislature.

“We are part of the official German development cooperation and as such funded by the German Government. We have established more than 100 offices around the world and have been active in Nigeria for more than 20 years now.

The focus of our work in Nigeria lies on the promotion of democratic governance and the rule of law as well as on security sector reform. To this end we have been supporting the media and civil society Organizations in Nigeria as vital parts of a democratic country.

“Now training the Press Corps of both the Senate and the House of Representatives is vital when endeavouring to strengthen good and democratic governance.

With Nigeria in its third decade of democratic consolidation and many complex conflicts threatening to rupture the country, the Nigerian media is one of the most powerful institutions in the country. Its influence and reach should not be underestimated.

“The starting point to take on this task, must be to understand not only the proceedings and processes of legislature, but also the principles and challenges of governance in Nigeria as well as the function of legislative oversight.”

With General Elections ahead and faced with fake news and the growing importance of social media in the shaping of public opinions, show how relevant and timely it is to train those charged with legislative reporting. To this end, we meet here today”, she said.

On their parts, the Chairman of Senate Press Corps, Mr. Okoadi Itodo and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Ms Grace Ike lauded the efforts of the organizers at enhancing the professional capacity and standards of media practitioners.

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