FOR the on-goingConstitution Review process being facilitated by the National Assembly to achieve its desired objective, strong partnership with the media has been advocated with the emphasis on mobilising Nigerians to partake in the process.And such role can only be better undertaken by the media when issues of professionalism and strict adherence to ethics are upheld.At the opening of the two-day National Conference on Advancing the role of the Media in the Constitution Review Process last Tuesday in Abuja, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu assured Nigerians that the lawmakers at the upper legislative chamber, 'have no fixed position on any of the issues' slated for review. He insisted, 'We will be guided by the force of argument and strong opinion of the majority of our people.'Organised by the Democratic Governance for Development (DGD) of the United Nations Development Propgramme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the International Press Centre (IPC), the opening ceremony also attracted the participation of the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku; UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Daouda Toure; pioneer Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Dr. Tom Adaba, who gave the keynote speech; EU Ambassador in Nigeria, David MacRae; NUJ President, Mohammed Garba; and Lanre Arogundare of IPC including participants from civil society organisations, political parties, among others.Ekweremadu, who is also Chairman, Senate Committee on Constitution Review (SCCR), however called on the media 'to bring their positive influence to bear by partnering with the National Assembly and other stakeholders to drive this process successfully.'The lawmaker was specific in his expectation from the media. He said, 'This, youcan do through your agenda-setting, gate-keeping, public enlightenment and mobilisation roles. We need you to accelerate popular participation and build on the existing public confidence in the processes. Very importantly, we need you to ensure that the critical mass of this country in the rural areas is not left behind.'Ekweremadu continued, 'The media must ensure that the interest of a majority of these persons who are hindered by illiteracy, poverty and lack of access to media such as newspaper, from actively benefitting from the conventional media are adequately catered for. Indeed, since the overwhelming population of our nation resides in the rural areas, it is only logical and pertinent for the media to device creative strategies to ensure that they are not only well informed, but are also mobilised and guided to make inputs. This is a big challenge. But it is surmountable.'In the reckoning of the deputy Senate President, for the media to perform this role creditably, he charged, principle of objectivity must be upheld, 'in conveying information and analysing issues on the constitution review processes, urging practitioners to 'dissect issues on their own merit and avoid any action capable of aggregating our fault lines as a nation.'He told journalists to feel free to approach his committee at any time, 'for more information or clarifications on any matter. You can be rest assured that our doors will always remain open. At the SCCR, we are working on a one-stop hub where you can always access necessary information both online and in person,' he pledged.Ekweremadu vouched for the credibility of the on-going exercise, saying 'the National Assembly remains committed to the norms of democratic procedures, including legislative due process and the principles of transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and popular participation as the driving forces of the constitution review processes. We will ensure that our individual members mobilise to the nooks and crannies of their constituencies so that as many shades of opinion as possible are adequately taken into account,' he assured.While listing constituency tours, town hall and village square meetings as templates that will be exploited to mobilise and guide Nigerians, including those at the grassroots to own the project and take full responsibility of the end product, he underscored the need to secure deep involvement of the media, the civil society and professional bodies in driving the review process.The Senator acknowledged the receipt of a 50-page memorandum submitted by a network of media non-governmental organisations with the inputs from professional groups such as NUJ, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) among others with a quest to expand the frontiers of press freedom and get rid of all encumbrances that still impede these freedoms.'You can therefore be rest assured that we are committed to advancing media freedoms as well as international best practices. We will also ensure that every memorandum such as yours will receive fair and diligent consideration.In his remarks, Information Minister, Labaran Maku canvassed the need for practitioners to be diligent and ethical conscious in the exercise of their freedom and discharge of their duties as the watchdog of the society that holds government accountable to the citizens.The Minister expressed the fear that the current trend whereby politicians are becoming increasingly interested in media ownership without the corresponding industry-driven regulatory agency such as ombudsman may portend danger for the profession. He also advocated continuous capacity building for the media workers as a way of keeping tap with ever changing operational environment of the media, globally.Daouda Toure of UNDP premised the desirability of the conference on the need to mobilise the media on information dissemination and civic education in the constitution review process and devise strategies for effective media engagement; raise citizen awareness and participation in the constitutional reform process through public and private media; and to advocate for increased constitutional recognition for press freedom, access to information and media independence.While pledging continued support of DGD project to consolidating on-going democratic experiment in Nigeria, Toure noted four key components targeted by the DGD to achieve results. These are promoting credible, transparent and sustainable electoral processes; improving the democratic quality of political engagement; enhancing participation by women, youth and other marginalised groups; and strengthening channels of civic engagement.It is on record that the DGD project, funded by the European Union (EU), the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and UNDP, has been providing technical and financial support to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society organizations and institutions such as the Media, the Judiciary and Political Parties as a means of strengthening accountable and responsive institutions, and consolidating democratic governance in line with international best practices.And for the media to set the desired public agenda for the amendment process, certain imperatives, Lanre Arogundade submitted, should be considered.The Nigerian media should educate itself properly on the amendment process (the educator must be educated) so as to provide information to the public from an informed point of view and not that of ignorance,' he counseled, adding, journalists 'should be professional and ethical in reporting the exercise by being factual, accurate and fair. With the FOI Act in place, there should be no excuses.'Also emphasised is the need to be 'issue-focused in reporting the amendment process so as to enlighten the public on the implications. If for example, new states are to be created what would be the effect on the cost of governance, constituencies' delineation, number of seats in the National Assembly, organization of elections etc.''The Nigerian media should be development-focussed,' he mentioned, explaining further that, 'What the 1999 constitution enjoins the media to do is to monitor governance in accordance with the fundamental objectives and directive policy of the state as contained in chapter II where the primary objective of governance is defined as the welfare and security of the people. The overriding question that the media should be asking therefore is whether or not the review process can lead to the attainment of these objectives.'Arogundade would also like the media to ensure diversity in their reporting. 'The review process is not about the elite alone, it is as well and perhaps more importantly about the ordinary persons; the worker, the teacher, the market woman, the farmer, the so-called indigene and the so-called non- indigene, the people living with disability etc. We must give them adequate space and time so that their voices could be heard and their views properly reflected.
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