Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin, Africa's representative on the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI), has urged the Nigerian media to lead the charge for good governance by holding public officials accountable and promoting democratic values.
Adedoyin made the call on Saturday while delivering a virtual address at the inauguration of the Kwara State chapter of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN).
His address, titled Journalism, Communication and the Imperatives of Good Governance, highlighted the critical role of the media in strengthening democracy and ensuring accountability in government.
According to him, the media is the only institution with an explicit constitutional responsibility to hold the government accountable.
"So critical is journalism to a thriving democracy that our grundnorm accords it a prominent place," he said.
He cited Section 22 of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which mandates the mass media to hold the government accountable to the people.
Adedoyin said the media must strengthen the foundations of good governance through reporting that promotes and upholds the principles of pluralist democracy.
He acknowledged that politicians and public officials could be inclined to conceal wrongdoing and misconduct, stressing that responsible journalism must expose such actions in the public interest.
However, he cautioned that public interest journalism should not turn the media into an institutional opponent of the government.
"Where government performs well, our reportage must reflect this, but where government fails, journalism must also expose the failure of the state," he said.
Adedoyin added that only a free, fearless and professionally responsible press could sustainably support a strong and vibrant democracy.
The veteran journalist and former Kwara State Commissioner for Information also emphasised the importance of communication to good governance.
He described communication as indispensable to effective governance, noting that it serves as the link between public authority and the delivery of public good.
"While governance is the art of translating public authority into public good, communication is the bridge that connects the two," he said.
He explained that governments communicate their policies and initiatives to citizens through various channels, while citizens use the same channels to express their needs and concerns. The media, he added, plays a critical role in this exchange as both an observer and a participant in the governance process.
The Chairman of the ACSPN in Kwara State, Professor Rasaq Adisa, commended Adedoyin for his presentation, describing it as a valuable contribution to discussions on journalism, communication and good governance.
"You have set an agenda, and we shall turn it into a workshop where scholars will debate it and then come up with a communiqué," Adisa said.
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