By Uduma Kalu
WHAT is national security? How does the editor define it? How does it affect his job? What are the rules that govern reportage of national security? What stories should be obscured?
WHAT is national security? How does the editor define it? How does it affect his job? What are the rules that govern reportage of national security? What stories should be obscured?
What are rules on reporting national security? Who keeps the rules? It is government, and if yes, how do these rules infringe or enhance the editor’s rights? How can the media and government collaborate to ensure national pace and security?
The above questions were to a large extent the reason why the Nigerian editors gathered in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State penultimate week for a five-day conference on national security. The Guild held its eighth All Nigeria Editors’ Conference in Uyo Akwa Ibom State with the theme “The Nigerian Editor and National Security”.
More than 300 Nigerian editors from the print, broadcast, and electronic media as well as government officials sat under one roof to discuss the issue of national security and areas of cooperation between the two. But what was the melting or meeting point? Perhaps, the government officials abandoned the assessment of reporting national reporting to the editors since they did not offer clear cut rules of engagement.
Courage in the face of mounting odds
In fact, president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, in his address, entitled ‘We are all victims’, told the editors about the CNN African Journalist Award 2012 Free Press Award presented to the Nigerian media for its courage in the face of mounting odds against free press and free speech.
R-l: Labaran Maku, Minister for Information and Communications; Aremo Olusegun Osoba; Senate President, David Mark; Governor Godswill 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
He said the insurgents, after killing some journalists and bombing some media houses, declared the media as their enemy with the claim that it is biased. The insurgents, Adefaye added, accused the media of reporting their affairs with prejudice. While condemning the bombing and killing of journalists and their media houses , the NGE president said there can never be any justification for killing of journalists.
Citing President Jonathan’s statement that insecurity has become a major distraction, the NGE boss said the topic was relevant to the editors. He asked: “As journalists and editors, what is our concern and how much do we know about insecurity in our land? What rigour do we apply to stories and comments about security? Are we skilled enough in matters of coverage of conflicts? Are we doing all that we should do in defence of justice and equity, peaceful co existence, full citizenship, absence of fear and protection of the fundamental human rights of all of us?
What is government’s communication strategy on counter insurgency? What are those things that we need to know, even if not publish, that we do not know. And finally, how can we build the confidence between the media, the government and the people on matters of national security as media operators?”
Editors, he said, “are not security experts” but he hoped that the interrogation with the experts would make the editors become better equipped to handle the subject for public good. The experts were the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Dasuki, and Director General of the SSS, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong. From the legislature, Senate President David Mark, with the SGF Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. Legal examination of the law by Mr. Dele Adesina, SAN, economic implication of terrorism by Prof. Etannibi Alemika of the University of Jos.
Journalists appraised their work on the issue through the paper of veteran journalist Rufai Ibrahim. But the most important of the sessions was the dialogue with governors on security. In this atmosphere of seekers of meanings, what was discernible was that the meaning of national security.
The event provided a platform for government and the media to meet and fashion out areas for consideration on national security and reportage. But how to handle this was not really spelt out.
And this was first hinted by the Senate president David Mark who told the editors that there was no list of what constitutes national security in the country. So without a list, the rules of engagement as the Adefaye asked for, were not really there. In the end, what came out was the same old media rules: balanced reporting, fairness, etc.
In fact, even the editors’ communique noted that “without prejudice to the obligations of the security agencies to do their constitutional duty of preserving law and order, there was the need for openness and transparency with the rules of engagement in all anti-terror activities, while editors should ensure fairness, balance and accuracy in the presentation of stories.”
The government officials and a lawyer had on their own called for investigative journalism, balanced reporting, objectivity, verification of stories and disclosing of sources, just about the same thing the editors asked their members to do.
But while some of the government officials’ requests were considered satisfactory, the editors rejected the request that journalists should disclose the sources of their information with Ms Comfort Obi of The Source Magazine saying that journalists were not intelligence officials.
What the editors should do — Govt leaders
David Mark: Senate president said “I believe that the FoI Act which the National Assembly passed will give you an opportunity to do enough to be able to differentiate between what constitutes a national security and what do not.
I believe once you are able to dialogue on sensitive issues of national security, your reportage will not become a national security threat and for those of us who are political office holders, we have to be careful not to be insensitive to issues that constitute a threat to national security. I am in support of giving out information but we have to draw the line.
But there is no time dividing line between what constitutes a threat to national security and what doesn’t. I think the problem we have is what we will make the person remain in business and what should be considered as national security.”
Tambuwal: Reps Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal through his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, said “We will pander to the well articulated interests of the people as far as the constitution amendment process is concerned. We shall soon embark on intense consultations with the people at the grassroots. The media has a crucial role to play in this consultative process.”
He asked the editors to take advantage of the constitutional amendment process being done by the National Assembly and to make inputs in it as it affects national security. Like Mark, Ihedioha said the FoI Act was passed to aid the practice of journalism and strengthen the constitutional guarantee of freedom to receive and impart information and ideas.
Maku: Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, advised the editors to define and promote national interest in their daily reportage. Every editor, he said, was a nationalist and as gatekeepers they owed the nation a duty to protect its interest, stressing “there are so many good things that are happening that the editors should emphasize in the media.”
Greatest challenge
Maku urged editors to realize that though ‘Boko Haram’ was a major challenge, the greatest challenge was the need to promote the county’s unity, adding: “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.”
Dasuki: Delivering a keynote address said that faced with the daunting task of insecurity, it was time to rethink the role of the media in the country. Nigerian citizens, he noted, are clients of even the press and the press must, therefore, partner with others to ensure that the people are well informed, especially about the dangers of terrorism, how to protect themselves and communities from terrorists, how to identify and and help security forces defeat terrorists.
Dasuki, who was represented by Prof. Adesuji Adeyola, said: “They need to show the enemies of the state, including the press, have no appreciation for terrorism, bunkering, kidnapping, piracy, robbery and other menaces and obstacles to our nation’s prosperity.
Our newspaper headlines have to reflect this partnership. There should be no doubt in the minds of enemies of peace and freedom where the press lies. Obviously, the press is natural partners of government in public education, awareness building, information dissemination, and building national cohesion. When we talk about the nation’s transformation, the media should be at the forefront of change.”
Ekpenyong: Director-General of State Security Service, SSS, Mr Ita Ekpeyong, advised Nigerian journalists not to encourage act of terrorism in the country through their reportage. Ekpenyong, who was represented by the Akwa Ibom Director of SSS, Mr Toma Minti, said in a paper entitled “Architecture of Terror,” that since terrorists needed publicity, the media should minimize putting their acts of terror for the sake of national security. He said: “Since terrorists need sympathy, media reportage should not be to encourage their act. Media should not give prominence to headlines that should have been buried. National interest must be taken into consideration in reporting terrorism.”
Adesina: And from the legal minds, represented by Mr. Dele Adesina, SAN, in his paper’ Understanding anti-terrorism laws in Nigeria,’ highlighted efforts made to use legislation to end terrorism and the 2011 anti-terrorism Act of Nigeria.
In his opinion, journalists should disclose their sources of information since the anti-terrorism law, journalists mandate them to disclose their sources of information relating to reports on terrorism or they are guilty of accessory to the crime.
Alemika: Professor of criminology from the University of Jos, Prof. Etannimi Alemika declared that despite the increasing cost of insurgence in Nigeria, the nation has not yet developed comprehensive framework for the prevention and management of insurgency and terrorism. Alemika, who delivered a lecture entitled: “Cost of Insurgency in Nigeria”, said terrorism and insurgency are not matters for security agencies alone, adding that anti-terrorism policies cannot be wholly conceived in secrecy and implemented without the mobilization of the relevant experts, professionals, constituencies and citizens.
The challenge is that effective legal, institutional and operational frameworks need to be established and sustained with necessary resources so that terrorism does not take roots in Nigeria and become endemic political problems.”
He advised government to find effective and long-lasting solutions to the factors that currently generate ethnic and religious violence so that they do not lead to ethno-religious terrorism, adding that necessary preventive measures should be taken to develop and sustain the capacity of security agencies and citizens to deal with all phases of terrorism.
Ibrahim: Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU), Prof Rufai Ibrahim, asked journalists to stop focusing more on the powerful and the elite to the detriment of the masses. He noted that the challenge to make profit and survive at all cost could be counter-productive. He said: “The overall implication of this economic imperative of survival in the world of stiff competition is that, the voices of the lower classes and the poor are given only little attention, if any.
There is a tendency towards conformity among the media organisations with their products becoming ever more alike in style and substance, except for incidental or minor difference and innovation becomes discouraged or even muted.”
Mrs Janet Mba-Afolabi of The Scroll asked media to also negative stories. Editors should be sceptical, should be investigative for balanced reporting, should not be a propaganda mouthpiece, d avoid prejudice, be objective and should not be biased.
From the Governors: Perhaps, one of the major achievements of the conference was the gathering of at least five state governors to share their experience on their relationship with media and security.
Relationship with the media
At the meeting were Delta Sate governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan; Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang; Rivers State governor, Chubike Amaechi, represented by his deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru; Borno State governor also represented as well was Kano State and Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio. Each of these governors gave detailed stories on their relationship with the media in their efforts to combat terrorism.
Areas of disagreement: There were four main areas of disagreements at the meeting. The first was in the Adesina’s paper which called on journalists to disclose sources of their information in obedience to anti terrorism law. While all the editors were opposed to it, Ms Comfort Obi said: “No, journalists are not intelligence officers.” She was supported by Richard Akinola who went on to say that between the government and the media on national security, there was no meeting point.
The next one was the paper by Rufai Ibrahim. The grouse with the paper, most of the editors pointed out, was that the speaker accused those he called mainstream media of biased reporting of security challenges in the North. For example, he said while those causing trouble in the Niger Delta are called militants by the media, in the North, those killing people are called terrorists. For him, they are all the same.
The first person to react to this was Prof. Eimevwo Biakolo of the Centre for Leadership in Journalism, Pan African University, who noted that the paper does not even recognise that journalists are also victims in the ongoing terrorism in North.
He also said that what Ibrahim called mainstream media was a ploy to say South West media and so it was easy to accuse it of bias. He said the Niger Delta militants never bombed churches or went out of their way to kill children as the terrorists are doing.
