ON Wednesday, August 22, 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan signed a"Performance Contract" - an initiative that would make ministers accountable, productive, transparent and focused in delivering quality and timely services to the Nigerian citizens.For some time to come commentators and analysts will continue to react to the implications of that "Performance Contracts" on leadership and governance. However, while signing the "Performance Contract", President Goodluck Jonathan said, "You will not depend on what the newspapers will want to write because the media is now highly politicised. Before, the media used to be the voice of the ordinary people. But now, the media has become the voice of those who own them. And those who own the media have private jets. And those who have private jets are not ordinary people. So, the media is now the voice of the powerful people. So, we have a way of assessing ourselves".Perhaps, this assessment of the media by the number one citizen of the country, is a clarion call to media practitioners to go back to the drawing board and dissect who the media serve in this country - the generality of Nigerians or their owners, who now use private jets. However, before doing that, it has to be stated that the media is a necessary oil that lubricates the engine of democracy all over the world.Today in Nigeria, both the ordinary citizens and the elite face same kind of challenges in varying degrees. Nigeria has a National Pledge that should serve as a 'mission statement' for all, irrespective of gender, status, tribes, religious, political and cultural differences. That National Pledge read,"I pledge to Nigeria my countryTo be faithful, loyal and honest,To serve Nigeria with all my strengthTo defend her unity,And uphold her honour and glorySo help me God".In a country where nothing seems to be working, where insecurity has led to innocent citizens dying on a daily basis, where the economy has nose-dived to the extent that we are contemplating having N5,000 notes, where strong wallets will be used to carry coins, where moral scandal is now a common scene, where looting, poverty, unemployment, ritualism among other are daily being reported by the print and electronic media, who exactly can pledge to be faithful, loyal, and honest' Who will serve with all strength and defend the unity of Nigeria' Who will actually uphold her honour and glory' This is a challenge to the leadership of the country and not the media. For the avoidance of doubt, the press "boys" of those days are now mature in all areas of life-academically, professionally, mentally, consciously and physically, with many of them holding HND, BA, B.Sc and even Ph.D degrees. They are no longer "boys" but men and women who are qualified in all ramifications to be legislators, governors and even president. It is cheery enough that some of them are in the National Assembly. So, to describe the media practitioners as serving their owners is nothing but an error of judgment. Perhaps, President Jonathan is still relying on the dictum, "He who pays the piper, dictates the tune". Things have changed, the tune can be heard but the dancing steps can change. The media houses are now guided by code of ethics to ensure that there are no professional lapses. In all ramifications, their goal is radically different from that of their owners.These media practitioners are prepared to lay down their lives for Nigeria to survive. If one may ask, in a capitalist society such as ours, what prevents owners of media houses, even, the practitioners from owing jets, using the best of cars, having the best of houses and other things inasmuch as they are legitimately acquired'Arising from this is to say that the media exist to serve the interest of the masses and not only public office holders, who might want to use them to pursue self-interest. The press in a democratic government is to be the watchdog of the society or what is popularly known as the Fourth Estate of the Realm. The Press and Government are supposed to perform the role of ensuring better quality life to the generality of the people. Realising this, the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo regime in 2001 organised a National Media Tour to assess the activities and performance of the various state governments.Even though there was an abuse along the way, that bold step taken by the Obasanjo regime put the various governors on their toes. Instead of signing a "Performance Contract", Obasanjo brought some people, including Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mrs Oby Ezekwesili who are not politicians to strengthen his government. It will not be out of place to remind President Jonathan that a number of bodies including the NUJ, NPAN, Guild of Editors, NBC, and BON exist to monitor professional performance of the media from time to time. To succeed, the government needs the media. In the same way the media should not abdicate its responsibility of surveillance of the environment. No reasonable pressman wants to destabilise the government of his country. No reasonable pressman will want to run individuals in government or corporate organisations down. However, a reasonable, pressman will want to expose corruption, insecurity, oil pollution and bad governance, among others. By and large, we cannot deny that black legs exist in the media houses - a "virus" from the larger society. To allay the fears of President Jonathan, the media should embark on house cleansing and training and re-training of their staff. Jonathan's ministers cannot assess themselves objectively.President Jonathan needs the media as partners in progress just like the other state governors.The media should be courageous enough to use the advantage of the Act to bring to the limelight those "hidden" information in government circle and damn the consequences inasmuch as the nation will be better for it.Oyedokun, a former Director-General, Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (Radio/TV), sends this piece in from Osogbo.
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