There was wild applause, yesterday in Lagos, as the Nigerian media inaugurated a nine-member board of the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman, to strengthen public confidence in the media.

The inauguration by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), the umbrella body of owners, editors and reporters of print and online journalists in Nigeria, was driven by the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN).

The nine-member commission is made up of veterans in the profession and that of partner organizations and is chaired by the former Editor/Managing Director of The Guardian Newspaper, Emeka Eluem Izeze alongside erstwhile President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Mahmoud; Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Paul University, Awka, Prof. Chinyere Okunna; Country Director of Care International, Hussaini Abdu; Editor-in-Chief of Diamond Publications, Lanre Idowu. 

Other members are ace broadcaster and author, Eugenia Abu; Executive Director at Media Rights Agenda, Edetean Ojo; former editor, lawyer and Chair, House of Representatives Committee on Information, Dupe Ajayi Gbadebo.

President of NPAN, Mallam Kabiru Yusuf, said the media from inception has been performing its duty of serving as watchdog of the society. 

He, however, said there was the need to create a national body to ‘watch the watchdogs’ without government interference or control.

He claimed that some persons in power affected by the functions of the media were unrelenting in their efforts to gag the press.

He said the commission would also address and regulate journalists who seek to abuse the power given to them.

“In deference to the dictum, that journalism is too important to be left to journalists, we have opted for a mechanism of co-regulation. 

“This is done with the help of other actors like the civil society, especially the bar and non-media Non Governmental Organisations.

“Radio and television are already regulated, but the print, which is the oldest, and online, which is the newest, have escaped such control.

“The former warned by the lessons of history and the latter, by the amplitude of technology.

“Powerful and privileged Nigerians, irritated by the nosiness of the media, often express the wish for some checks on its powers. 

“I sometimes think that such people take freedom for granted,” he said.

Yusuf, however, said some journalists seemed all out to prove that their pen was indeed a sword for slaying real or imaginary enemies.

“The Ombudsman will call such people to order, to appreciate that the power of the press should be used for good, not for self-aggrandisement.”

Yusuf commended the working committee, made up of the NPAN, NGE, NUJ and the Guild of Online Publishers, which worked together to develop the ombudsman mechanism.” Responding, Izeze commended stakeholders for the initiative and the confidence reposed on NMCC members.

Responding, Izeze commended stakeholders for the initiative and the confidence reposed on NMCC members.

He said that the commission was not to gag the media.

He said that the stakeholders had fought for so long to keep the media unaffected by the shenanigans of those who were in government at one time or the other in the country.

According to him, since the military regime to date, there have been certain distastes for the media and people always look for how to keep the media in check.

“What has happened lately is that we (media practitioners) haven’t also been keeping ourselves in check. 

“Our responsibility primarily is not to come and gag the press, we will not do that. We think that we have to be fair to ourselves. We must always do the right thing.

“So, when the public is complaining, instead of waiting for the people who do not understand this job to pull us down, we will remember this commission and take the imitative to address the issue.

“People do not like their dirty stories being told in the public and there are too many dirty stories that have to be told, particularly in our environment, to make progress.”

According to the veteran said, the job is to give the public a channel for seeking redress.

“I assure you that with my colleagues here, we will attempt to do justice to your expectations and see how far we can go to help the media operate professionally. 

“We will see how far we can go to help the media to observe some of those rules that we drew for ourselves and help the media to build what this nation needs. 

“We cannot make progress in this nation without the media operating professionally, it is not possible,” he said.

The event was attended by the leadership of NPO, NPAN, NGE, NUJ, BON and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, along with other strategic media players and the civil society.

Mr Sam Amuka-Pemu, the Founder and Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, inaugurated the commission.(The SUN)