2015 Polls: Minister makes case for parties on fair broadcast media access.

[FMINigeria]

The National Council on Information has been urged to see to it that those in charge of the electronic media at all levels respect the prescriptions of the revised Broadcasting Code by ensuring that their outfits are open to all political parties, for free exchange of ideas, to facilitate free choice by citizens ahead of the 2015 General Elections.

While speaking in Osogbo at the Opening Ceremony of the 44th National Council on Information, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku stressed the need for access to be granted not only for primary broadcast, but also in instances that warrant a right of reply in line with the present administration's commitment to free, fair and credible elections in the country.

"Denial of fair access has been noticed particularly at the local levels and that hampers the free exchange of opinions and ideas which ought to be the basis of choice by citizens in elections", the Minister pointed out.

He said, "All too often, as we have seen in previous elections, the electronic media have been used for hate broadcast, which then ignited violence that in turn led to the wanton loss of lives and destruction of public and private property.  I wish, therefore, to invite Council Members to take a critical look ahead of the next electoral season, and make resolutions that invoke the necessity of our being responsible with the enormous powers we wield with the electronic media.

"As I have already noted, there is the revised Broadcast Code, which was the product of the collective and wide-ranging inputs of stakeholders.  We must be faithful to the Broadcast Code, with the concomitant obligation to face up to the risk of abuse by politicians and commentators who use live programmes to create hate along ethnic, religious and partisan lines, to stir the masses into violence and destruction".   He also used the opportunity to praise Council members for promptly following through with the implementation of the resolutions of the Extra-ordinary National Council Meeting held in July, 2011 in Abuja, in the wake of the violence that erupted in some parts of the country, after the free, fair and credible elections that led to the inauguration of President Goodluck Ebele

A cross section of Commissioners at the 44th National Council on Information at Osun State

Jonathan for his first term on May 29, 2011.

While urging the media to shun partisanship, Maku said, "I am fairly certain that by the time the Council reconvenes for the 45th session, it will be sometime next year.  By then, we would have entered into the electoral season, even though voting in the general elections is not due to hold until 2015.  Already, we are all witnesses to the heat being generated in the lead-up to the commencement of full-scale electioneering."

Maku further said that "There are both intra-party and inter-party squabbles.  But the media remain the most viable and readily available platform where the squabbles are ventilated.  Yet, of the available media, the electronic media are the most susceptible to abuse, misuse, and manipulation, especially by the political authorities".

Also speaking, the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola said "One other fundamental issue this Council must not fail to consider seriously is how governments at different levels in Nigeria can use social media to encourage and sustain the interest of Nigerian youths in governance.

According to him, "The highly interactive nature of social media provides a platform through which the youths of this country can be deeply engaged and carried along on issues of national interest."

The Governor therefore, insisted that "Reaching them through this medium will enable governments to get useful contributions from them. Rather than deploying their great talents and savvy to various degrees of cybercrimes, we can link up with our youths on the various social networking sites and channel their resourcefulness into the task of nation building."

Source: 2015 Polls: Minister makes case for parties on fair broadcast media access.
Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria

[Folami David]

The media access is key when things like this come up...This would enlighten the general public more on what it's all about! Nice one....