Media should hold leaders accountable…Fayemi

By Olayinka Ilori

The Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has called on media practitioners to support government’s efforts towards strengthening National Security, and deepening democratic process of the country

Dr Fayemi, who gave the information in Lagos at the 6th Convocation Lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Journalists said that the media had a critical role to play in promoting good governance.

The governor dug deep into the historical background of the evolvement of Nigeria media practitioners and their role from precolonial era to the current dispensation.

He attributed the survival of the country, as a nation, to the contributions of media practitioners who held leaders accountable to the people.

Fayemi charged media practitioners to always exercise caution and be fearless in reporting public affairs.

”It is in the light of this that media scholars have concluded that “a democratic system of government that is not supported by a free, vibrant, and healthy media system represents a nominal rather than real system of democratic decision making.”

“Modern mass democracy is possible in part because of the mass media. The access that the media affords ordinary citizens, it has been noted, creates conditions of dialogues between the rulers and the ruled. The media’s role in the periods when a nation is experiencing security challenges is critical because these are moments when the civic impact of journalism is fully obvious. It is the time when the media must promote inclusion rather than sectarian exclusion”

Fayemi expressed optimism that the introduction of a multi-level policing policy in Nigeria would further strengthen the security of the country.

He Commended the leadership of the institution for upholding the tenets of professionalism, adding that NIJ had successfully trained giants in the profession.

Earlier in his remarks, the Vice Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute, Mr Ray Ekpu, said the media must strive to discharge its responsibilities professionally and ethically.