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ThE Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), last week, inaugurated the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC) or the National Ombudsman to regulate media practice in the country. The NPO is comprised of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The NMCC is made up of prominent Nigerians drawn from the media, the law, the academia and civil society. It is chaired by Mr. Emeka Izeze, a former Managing Director of The Guardian Newspaper. Other members are Mr. A. B. Mahmoud, SAN, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) of Paul University, Awka, Anambra State; Dr. Hussain Abdu, a Development Specialist and Country Director, Care International (Nigeria).
The rest are Lanre Idowu, Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Ltd. and Founder, Diamond Awards For Media Excellence (DAME); Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mrs. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, a journalist, lawyer and arbitrator; Mrs. Eugenia Abu, broadcaster, author and columnist, and Mr. Segun Odebunmi, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Information.
According to the President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and NPO, Mallam Kabir Yusuf, the commission would serve as an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press quickly, fairly, and free of charge; maintain high standards of Nigerian journalism and journalists ethics; and defend the freedom of the press and the right of the people to know.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Commission, Emeka Izeze, explained that its mandate was not to gag the press but to make it more responsive and provide for the public a channel for seeking redress and knowing that it would be enforced. The inauguration of the Ombudsman is a major step by the industry to strengthen public confidence in the media through a prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches.
The Ombudsman would also serve as a watchdog and regulate the practice of the journalism. Prior to the launching of the NMCC, each media house had been directed to institute at the newspaper level, the local Ombudsman. And to some extent, it has helped to ensure that journalists observe the ethics of the profession in the course of duty. Therefore, it is believed that the national Ombudsman will serve as an appellate body for the local Ombudsman as well as a court of first instance. It is significant and healthy that the initiative to self-regulate the media emanates from stakeholders in the media and not from the government. The Ombudsman came on the heels of complaints against the unbecoming conduct of some media practitioners in the country. There were also allegations that the ethics of the profession had been grossly abused by some journalists. It is hoped that the Ombudsman will keep the profession in check and help to ensure that sanity prevails in the industry. The initiative is worthy of commendation.
It is not in doubt that the job before the NMCC is quite challenging. Like Caesar’s wife, the Ombudsman must be above board in regulating the media. The vital role of the media in the society, which cannot be over-emphasised, places enormous responsibility on journalists.
The role of the media in the polity is clearly spelt out in Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution as part of the fundamental objective and directive principles of the state policy. Among other responsibilities, the section charges the media with not only the duty to discharge its traditional watchdog function in all aspects of governance but also in guarding and advancing the frontiers of the people’s liberties and freedom.
It also assigns to the media the obligation of seeing itself as the policing institution over the fundamental objectives and direct principles of state policy as well as the citizens’ fundamental rights. The fact that the constitution imposes such responsibility on the media implies that it should be fair and just in the exercise of its constitutional role.
We urge members of the Ombudsman to discharge all complaints with a high sense of responsibility. Any issue brought before them must be handled dispassionately. Let media owners, editors, reporters and other stakeholders in the industry give the NMCC the necessary support to succeed.
