BY TONY NYONG
Uyo – The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has advised Nigerian editors to define and promote national interest in their daily reportage.
Maku gave the advice yesterday in Uyo at the opening ceremony of the 8th All Nigeria Editors Conference organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE. He lauded Nigerian journalists for being always at the forefront of nationalist movements and the fight for Nigeria’s unity.
Maku said: “Under all periods, nobody had been able to cow the media; not even in the period of national emergency and military dictatorship.” He added that every editor was a nationalist and as gatekeepers they owed the nation a duty to protect its interest.
He noted that though Nigeria was facing security challenges, “there are so many good things that are happening that the editors should emphasize in the media.”
The minister urged editors to realize that though ‘Boko Haram’ was a major challenge, the greatest challenge was the need to promote the county’s unity.
“The development of millions of people is under threat; we can report it, not as a football match, but in a way that makes the nation feel a sense of confidence in the face of threat.”
From right: Labaran Maku, Minister for Information and Communications; Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Chairman of the occasion; Senate President, David Mark; Governor God’swill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom State and Mr Gbenga Adefaye, President, Nigerian Guild of Editors/GM Publications/Editor-in-Chief Vanguard Newspapers, during the annual Conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, yesterday, at the Banquet Hall of the Akwa-Ibom State Government House Uyo.
Earlier in his welcome address, the NGE President, Mr Gbenga Adefaye, noted that the country had regrettably attracted global attention because of insecurity, suicide bombings and sectarian violence.
In the address entitled “We are all victims”, Adefaye observed that the insurgents’ resort to the bombing of media houses and killing of journalists was borne out of their wrong perception of the media.
Adefaye said: “It is a mistake to attack and destroy the medium of dialogue, which they will need ultimately to resolve their grievances.
“There can never be justification for bombing media houses and killing journalists, no matter the grudges.”
He said the conference theme, ‘The Nigerian Editor and National Security’, was intended to help editors understand and acquire the skills for conflicts reportage, as well as build confidence between the media, government and the people.
Balanced reporting
Senate President David Mark in declaring the Nigerian Guild of Editors Conference open urged the media, especially editors as the gatekeepers to ensure balanced reportage. He said: “I don’t believe that you are an opposing party, but I do believe that we are working towards the same goal of giving information to the people and the information you give, can only be based on what you see, and what is the reality on the ground based on fact.
“I am particularly pleased to be invited to declare this conference open. I am pleased because the theme of this conference is very apt at this point in time in the Nigerian history; ‘The Nigerian Editor and National Security’, and there can never be any better time for us to discuss this particular theme. The role of the media in the continuing evolution of the society cannot be over-emphasized.
“Besides the traditional role of informing, entertaining and educating the public, the media have become an important tool of the state craft in the modern era. However the dynamics of the media are quite different, they vary in different countries.
“National security dwells on national survival, as well as the preservation of our ways of life. I must quickly add that I am a firm believer in the standard definition of the national security, which includes food security, infrastructure security, environmental security, health security, and even the welfare of reporters, because these things are important and they add to national security.
“The Editor is rightly called the gatekeeper who has the role to decide what the public should know and picks from a sunray of news items, that which attract the readers and also help to maximize profit for the proprietors of the medium. But I think the problem is the balance between what will make you remain in business, and what becomes national security issue. There is no list of what is classified as national security list, if there is a comprehensive list, then we will also be able to criticize it and agree on what should constitute a comprehensive list of what is national security, so the editor should be able to use their imaginations.”
FOI Act
The Senate President said the Freedom of Information Bill has provided the guidelines for positive reporting and that the Nigerian media was the freest in the world.
Osoba commends editors
The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Segun Osoba, commended the leadership of the guild for choosing a very apt theme bordering on national security.
Osoba, a veteran journalist and former Governor of Ogun, noted that journalists had always been among the first casualties in any conflict situation in the country.
He recalled that the first casualty during the country’s civil war was a journalist. He also hailed the association for elevating issues of national importance to the level of intellectual discourse.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said the media should take advantage of the ongoing constitution amendment process being carried out in the National Assembly.
Tambuwal who was represented by his Deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, said: “Let me use the opportunity to restate the firm resolve of the leadership of the House to allow Nigerians decide the kind of amendments desired on the issues identified.
“As elected representatives of the people, we will never impose our will on the people from whom we derive our mandate, we will pander to the well-articulated interest of the people as far as the constitution amendment process is concerned. Nigerians of all shades and opinions should therefore come out and drive the process by telling us what they want.”
Welcoming the Editors, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State called for the institution of cyber crime department in the police force.
The governor said corruption was a reflection of low level of patriotism, and called on Nigerians to move beyond personal interest and ethnic groups and communities, and consider the interest of the nation
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