Journalists in the northeast region of Nigeria have suggested that there is no independent journalism in the country.
They said that the task on journalists to ensuring and promote transparency and accountability in governance and the concept of ‘neutrality’ in journalism is suffering in the country due to the tight control politicians are exerting in the media industry.
They made this assertion at the official launching of 9News Nigeria, North-East Bureau, on Sunday in Borno State’s capital, Maiduguri.
With the theme; Media Independence and Sustainability, the event hosted several media managers, journalists and other media stakeholders in the region.
History has shown that for centuries, those at the helm of power and authority tries to control the media to enable them create a narrative that suit their interest, plans, ambitions as well as eliminate any threat toward that.
These rulers, especially in a democratic setting, use the media to influence the decisions and actions of the masses to ensure they assert themselves and remain at the top.
It is on that regard that many journalists and media platforms continued to struggle to ensure they operate independently without any external forces directing or influencing their operational mandate.
However, due to inadequate resources to sustain their operations, journalists and media practitioners in Nigeria succumb to politicians and other movers and shakers of the country to help them pursue and promote their interest, while they became their pay masters.
According to 9News Nigeria, North-East Bureau Chief, Abubakar Haruna Muhammad, the choice of the theme is in recognition of these challenges faced by media practitioners in the country.
He said this in his welcome address, where he explained that ensuring media independence is also one of the important principles and objectives of 9News Nigeria, noting that without it, journalists will lose their main role of checkmating and holding governments accountable.
‘’We journalists have lost our value over the years because we have been subjected to stiff control by external forces and it is high time we put an end to it, we should revive our mandate,’’ he said.
Muhammad called on journalists to uphold integrity in dealing with people while exercising their duties, adding that ‘’without integrity, journalists will not be respected and granted the opportunity to play their major roles.’’
In his remarks, Habu Ahmad, the General Manager, Dandal Kura Radio International said that the emergence of electronic media and social media has affected the media industry economically.
He noted that the curiosity for news stories is also dying out among people in the country.
Explaining further, he said that before this period, media organizations in the country were able to gather wealth and adequate resources to sustain their operations through the selling of newspapers, advertisements and other services but all is now lost to the social media.
Mr. Ahmad advised that media practitioners should look backwards and re-strategized on how to sustain their newsrooms without external interferences, adding that the community members most also contribute by investing in the news they consume.
Similarly, the regional editor, HumAngle newspaper, Abdulkareem Haruna said that media independence is a mirage in the country.
‘’I don’t think there is any public media in Nigeria without government or the interest of government,’’ he said in his remarks.
Mr. Haruna also submits that the failure is contributed by the public who consume the news without investing in it, siting example with media practices in other countries.
‘’We visited a media organization some years ago in Minnesota, United States, Tribune of Minneapolis newspaper, it was well equipped with modern facilities, they even had two helicopters and it is self-funded, public funded by the community members, it is owned by the people,’’ he explained.
The editor also congratulated 9News Nigeria for this milestone, emphasizing the need for more media inputs in the northeast.
Also speaking, the CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Yerwa Express News, Abdulhamid Al-Gazali said the northeast has become a news attraction region in Nigeria due to frequent trending incidents like insecurity, politics and natural disasters among other things, hence the need for more media platforms to adequately report it.
On the theme of the program, Al-Gazali, who is also the keynote speaker, said that media independence is an illusion in Nigeria.
He said that media organization are surviving through the nose to sustain their newsrooms.
‘’The only source of funding for journalists now with limited interference is grants, and that too is not without some strings attached, and difficult to access,’’ he added.
He emphasized that journalists and media managers most device alternative means of generating funds to sustain their operations, without which, he said they will continue to be subservient to politicians and cannot operate independently.
The President, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) Dr. Sheriff Yahaya, also a guest at the launching congratulated 9News Nigeria and applauded the choice of establishing the northeast bureau in Maiduguri.
Sherriff said in his remarks that the health sector is underreported in Borno State and the northeast region and ‘’I am hoping that 9news Nigeria would help in bridging the gap.’’
Part of the program is an interactive panel discussion on ‘Reporting Conflict and Disaster.’
During the discussion, the panelists discussed many issues relating to the subject and explained the best practices while responding to questions and comments from the audience.
In his comment during the panel, the Executive Secretary, Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (BOSCHMA), Dr. Saleh Abba Kaza commended the program and the organizers.
He said the topic is important considering the insurgents’ conflict and the recent flood disaster that ravaged Maiduguri and two other local government areas of the state.
Dr. Abba however called on journalists to continue organizing such events where relevant issues would be discussed with other stakeholders.
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