AL
THOUGH much has not been achieved in the last one year of freedom of information
regime in Nigeria, however, certain strategic steps are being experimented to
ensure that the implementation phase of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act begin
to yield bumper harvest
THE Media Rights Agenda (MRA), last week, released a report, entitled, One Year of
Implementation of the FOI Act 2011: Many Rivers to Cross, which has been hailed as
laudable effort that would spur action in activating the Act.
Highlighted in the report, are key observations from MRA monitoring of the
implementation of the Act over the last one year and made recommendations for
improved levels of compliance with the provisions of the Act.
Specifically, the Presidency was urged to prevail on the Inter-Ministerial
Committee on the Implementation of the Act to complete its assignment and release
its roadmap on the way forward for the speedy, effective and efficient
implementation of the Act.
The organization also urged the Attorney General of the Federation to
exert pressure on all public institutions to comply with the provisions of the Act
especially the aspect on the filing their annual FOI reports.
Meanwhile, the journalism teacher at the Lagos State University (LASU), Mr. Tunde
Akanni threw the challenge back at journalists saying, “there have been allegations
of tax evasion on the part of some corporations but the media won’t get us further
details. What about those of corrupt practices everywhere and all we have are
reports of panels. This is why we miss the Next (newspaper) team characterised by
investigations. They didn’t seek FoIA to do their job interestingly. It is not for
nothing that four of its staff have now been nominated for CNN awards besides
others they won recently.”
The renowned journalist who had worked at The Daily Times, National Concord and the
Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO) before venturing into academics recommended
“thorough professional orientation” for journalists in order to make efficient use
of the law.
He reasoned further, “Governments at all levels must also wake up to the new
reality. Incidentally, it’s the juicy side that appears to interest government
functionaries. They didn’t forget to build N80m into the budget for its
implementation without spelling out details.
“Practising journalists need be awaken to a fundamental professional challenge to
the effect that the people have the right to know, which complements the statutory
enablement of FOIA. And then I would like to say that not only do people have the
right to know, but in good time too and with utmost precision with technological
advantage of this age and times.
“Non-journalists are already in the race with us, courtesy of technology. So, like
the inception of radio in 1920s spurred substantial creativity in newspaper
journalism, media managers and journalists across all genres need to wake up to the
great call to investigations for which FOIA is most needed.”
According to Akanni, President Jonathan has been doing his best to connect with
people via Facebook. He said, “Another thing though is the reliability of the
messages and the spokesperson. It is so conspicuous that the spokesperson is a
turncoat. President used media a lot and sought to interact with them via Facebook.
But how much did he defer to well-articulated popular opinions? He doesn’t have to
shy away but listen to those who voted him into power. We also need to ask about
the parallel that this government attempted to fashion against?”
He concurred with the perception that the government has been very slow in taking
certain strategic actions corroborating a facebook friend, Fidel Otuya’s view that
“the country is stuck.”
Akanni added: “Where are we headed without inspiring signals from the authorities
if to our government, the pension and petroleum subsidy scams are no big deals?
Even the Malabu/Malabo scandal? Ah! The government to me, wants to transform high
blood pressure into a communicable ailment because the pension and PMS cases alone
will touch all the 150million people easily.”
But the Public Relations expert and founder of Kaduna-based Timex School of
Communication (TsC), Mallam Kabir Dangogo differed on the perception that
government is slow.
“Nigerians can be impatient with their leaders. They said the same thing of past
governments. The former President was not only said to be very slow, they dubbed
him as ‘Mr. Go slow.’ Leadership, management of the economy and the handling of the
various communities with different interests are not done in a hurry. The
President’s term is not over yet, so people should give him a chance to deliver,
this is more so at this time when the nation is having security issues to contend
with.”
Mallam Dangogo also believed that the president has been engaging Nigerian through
his spokesperson, Dr. Rueben Abati. His words: “Every time someone criticizes the
president, there is an Abati to reply him. For a change, his reply is mature and
professional. This is unlike in the past when we experienced pollution of the
atmosphere with abuses of the President’s critics. You cannot fault him on that,
can you? That is what a spokesman is expected to do for his principal. He is
supposed to make friends and reduce enemies.”
But his view is similar on testing the information freedom law. “The FOI Act has
yet to be tested,” he declared, adding, “So, there has not been any remarkable
difference as a result of invoking the Act. The FOI Act is supposed to aid access
to information, but despite this development, there are still bottlenecks to
accessing public records. That is the problem that journalists are confronted with
in the course of their duty.”
If public records are accessed freely, Dangogo insisted, practice of journalism
would be enhanced. “So far, the only person that has filed a case against a state
government to release some records is a former secretary to the state government of
late Yar’Adua. This will strengthen investigation, which is the backbone of
journalism. Subsequently, it will expose corrupt acts in the society,” he
reasoned.
Another PR practitioner and Media blogger, Yushau A. Shuaib said, “To some extent
there is improvement in media coverage and especially reportage where the online
media are indeed leading but providing enough exposés that could not have been made
public as in the past. The Nigerian media are daringly courageous in discharging
their responsibilities as watchdogs on the society.”
He continued, “The FOI act has not only provided the opportunity but also
approaches and measures to enable easy access to vital information that are
permissible by the law.”
He commented on President Jonathan’s interaction with the people using social media
thus: “I believe his media aides who are responsible for his social media are doing
their best in posting some updates on his social media.
“They should be commended for allowing dissent voices and criticisms from his
followers, especially on his facebook page which by extension relays the true
feelings of the citizens.
“Sometimes, there is shortcoming in his public outburst but as a leader, he has the
right to express his personal opinions. That is his right, which also the citizens
also have in the spirit of freedom of expression. Not every time a leader should be
teleguided. We should allow reactions to guide his subsequent steps.”
Because of too much pressure on the government and also higher public expectation,
Shuaib said government should be excused on the issues of digital migration and
licensing of community radio. He argued, “most of those services could be easily
provided by the private sector once the government provides the enabling
environment for such investments.”
The inability of the government to provide this enabling environment is the grouse
of Ayode Longe of the Media Rights Agenda (MRA). “Government has not put in place
the policy, law or structure needed to ensure Nigeria operates true community
radio,” he said recalling the pronouncement made by President Jonathan since
October 2010 to the effect that the regulatory agency, NBC had been empowered “to
issue community radio licences without recourse to the Presidency.
“In spite of that, what we have for community radio today are academic community
radio stations, not radio stations owned and operated by the community for the
grassroots people. As of today, we know that the NBC is awaiting a signed and
documented directive from the Presidency for it to actually go on to license
community radios. That expected document is not forthcoming about two years after
the statement and so there is really no community radio in Nigeria. This, to me is
clear inaction not slow action.”
Pointedly, Longe faulted government’s attitude to digital migration, saying, “I
have never read or heard on news broadcast what practical step the government is
taking to ensure seamless digital migration before the expiration of the ITU
deadline.
“Most Nigerians have analogue television sets which cannot receive digital signals
without setup boxes. Government is neither enlightening Nigerians on digital
migration and what they need to do nor has it come out with a government policy on
what it is doing about it.”
He scored the media in the efforts to create platform for meaningful engagement
between the government and the governed.
“Essentially, the media has been doing great in the engagement of the President
with the people. The media has served as a platform for that engagement. It
publishes government statement, policies and announcements etc., while also doing
same from the people and the opposition.
“The problem with Nigerian governments however, is that their ‘engagements’ with
the people are usually one-way. They talk, explain and want people to just accept;
they do not listen to the people.”
Communication should be a two-way thing. So, if the government wants its public
engagement to be complete and truly meaningful, it must also create a feedback
system by which it listens to the public. There must be true dialogue between
government and the people in order to reach agreeable solution with input from the
public. That way, the public is carried along and things will work.”
While he expressed dismay on the failure of journalists to boost their performance
by invoking the provisions of FoI law, he was optimistic that fruits of the series
of sensitisation workshops conducted at the beginning of the year around the Act
would begin to manifest in the depth of reportage of critical issues of governance
in the country.
He however insisted that, “journalists need to read, read, and read the law. Why
the emphasis on ‘read’? Because they need to understand the law and its global
guiding principles before they can use it and then be able to enlighten Nigerians.”
