A former education minister, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has urged media professionals to remain resolute in holding elected officials accountable for their actions in serving the nation.
Ezekwesili made this appeal during a media roundtable in Abuja yesterday with the theme: “The Accountability Imperative: Demanding Responsibility from Politicians.”
Similarly, a former director of the Triumph Publishing Company, Dr Haroun Adamu, asserted that the history of Nigeria would be incomplete without acknowledging the media’s contribution. He emphasized that the media has played a vital role in Nigeria’s achievement of independence.
The FrontFoot Media Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing development in Nigeria and Africa through quality journalism, organized the event.
Ezekwesili highlighted that the time has come for Nigerian media professionals to transcend biases and hold politicians accountable, fulfilling their role as the fourth estate of the realm.
The former minister, who also served as the vice-president of the Africa Region of the World Bank Africa, expressed worry that Nigerian media practitioners are no longer effectively holding politicians accountable, as they did in the past.
She stated that certain politicians have elevated themselves to god-like status and have shown indifference to the suffering of the masses.
“When we talk about accountability, what angers people the most is when you courageously and objectively speak out about matters that affect the people.
“Around the world, the government’s purpose is universally understood to be the delivery of improvements to the quality of life and the guarantee of the safety of lives and property.”
She asserted that until media professionals fulfill their responsibilities, politicians may never provide good governance to Nigerians.
Ezekwesili remarked that every time media professionals fail to discharge their obligations, politicians gain the audacity to continue impoverishing the masses.
She highlighted the need for media professionals to identify the factors hindering the media from effectively fulfilling its constitutional duties.
According to her, unless the media is introspective and devises lasting solutions to the challenges impeding its responsibility to the citizenry, it will be unable to hold politicians accountable.
Adamu, on his part, observed that many journalists in Nigeria have lost their lives in the process of holding politicians accountable.
He noted that most of the journalists who died in the line of duty did not have life insurance.
Highlighting the numerous challenges faced by journalists in Nigeria while discharging their duties, Adamu urged them not to relent.
“There is a need to protect the lives of journalists due to the risks associated with their work.
“Implementing policies for life insurance coverage for journalists is necessary.
“This will motivate media practitioners to vigorously demand accountability and transparency from politicians,” he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by media executives and retired media practitioners (NAN)