Protocol:
I must begin by commending NAWOJ for carefully selecting the theme which succinctly tallies with the contemporary situation in the Nigerian political space as we witnessed a smooth transition from one political party to another. Media had played a great role in the transition and will definitely play a vital role in helping the present administration fulfill its electoral promises through constructive reportage of its activities.
Therefore, I carefully chose a topic that tallies with the theme of the workshop. The topic reads THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN ACHIEVING THE CHANGE AGENDA MANTRA FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
Development connotes an enhancement, propagation, progress, expansion, improvement or change for the better. Positive development fortifies the condition in which citizens live especially food security, provision of adequate jobs, reduction of income inequality among citizens and lessen such negative growth indices like hunger, poverty and malnutrition, illiteracy, inequality in wealth distribution, poor health facilities, low-life expectancy rating, maternal and infant mortality, as well as poor access to social services and amenities.
Based on this, development is considered as a process of minimizing the acute economic and social retardation and help in freeing people from social injustice, inequality and economic exploitation.
To achieve positive development, media has a great role to play through public sensitization. It is against this background that communication scholars and development experts believe that developing nations can have their development plans substantially achieved with vigorous and effective use of communication which is described as a major tool of mobilization. In line with this, the media can help the present administration deliver its promises, particularly the popular three which President Buhari always talks about in all his campaigns:
Security
Corruption
Job creation/reduction of unemployment
Reporting these fundamental issues which for years crippled the country, needs specialization. The “he/she said”, “he/she added” and “he/she noted” phrases in our daily bulletins must change because of their unfitness. What is most needed is to deeply investigate and present facts and figures accurately.
It is also time to change the newsroom tradition of relegating the women journalists to more simplistic and routine beats like kitchen and children. Women journalists must be engaged in hectic, difficult and controversial daily reportorial because they are equal to the task.
To achieve this, our media houses should form adequate beats and intensify trainings so as to entrench professionalism and specialization for the appeasement of content consumers who are now saturated with content sources and information owing to the new media.
In reporting security issues as number one agenda of President Buhari, journalists especially those in the North East which is the epicenter of the insurgency and even here in Katsina state which hosts Rugu or Kamugu forests which serve as hide-outs for armed robbers and rustlers, the following ethics must be observed:
Objectivity, truthfulness and balanced views.
Avoidance of sensationalism and offensive language.
Usage of pseudo/pen names if necessary.
Avoidance of identity exposure through personal pictures/photographs.
Inform not impress. Do not play the hero.
For corruption agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari, journalists should observe and master the technical, financial and legal terminologies in addition to the observance of the ethical standards of news reporting. Look at the following:
Warrant: a written order issued by a competent court of jurisdiction to arrest a person suspected to have committed an offence.
Preliminary hearing: a judicial process in which evidences are tendered to convince a court to hear a particular case.
Adjournment: when a Presiding Judge postpones the hearing of a case.
Defendant: a person with whom a case was instituted before a competent court of law.
Prosecution: a person that initiated a case in a court.
Plea bargaining: a negotiation between the prosecutor and defense counsels on the kind of plea a suspect might enter on a specific charge.
Count charges: series of alleged accusations labeled against a defendant.
CONCLUSION
NAWOJ can, to a greater extent, help Nigeria address some of the major problems inhibiting development which includes; corruption, unemployment, deteriorating education system, decayed health, unstable political and economic policies, incessant problem of insecurity, and unstable power supply as well as faulty development Agendas. Women journalists can awaken leaders to act positively and ginger their political will to react decisively by using not only their endowed golden voices in presentation but by partaking in unearthing ill-doings through investigative reportage.
Various development agendas were formulated by different governments in Nigeria, but, the country is yet to be transformed into a developed nation. Such agendas’ failures were largely linked to the poor implementation and lack of synergy between government and the media for proper mobilization towards achieving the goal. A good and recent example is the Transformation Agenda of the Jonathan administration which arguably achieved less success, largely due to lack of commitment and zeal on the part of government on the one hand and synergy between government and the media towards achieving the goal on the other hand.
You must however rise above parochialism so that all national issues are presented objectively as they affect the destiny of our nation, and its masses. Coverage of state or national issues should not be in an elite-oriented form, whereby true concerns of the masses were never reported or not given the required attention they deserve, but only quoting high ranking individuals because they habitually offer brown envelops.
Nigerian women journalists can be popular like Christiane Amanpour of CNN, Kate Adie of BBC, Hu Shuli of China Business Times, Diane Sawyer of ABC and in Nigeria people like Jamila Tangaza, Madina Dauda among many others if they monitor the full range of state activity and fearlessly expose abuses of official authority without allowing ownership and control factors impact on its coverage of national issues.
You all have potentials, explore them, understand them and utilize them judiciously, you will be there soon.
THANK YOU.
