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Senator representing Kwara North senatorial district in the National Assembly, Sadiq Suleiman Umar, and the dean, faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, Professor Lukman Adeshina Azeez, have called on Nigerians to become more involved in the political process, stressing that democracy and good governance depend on active participation of citizens.
The two personalities delivered lectures at the grand finale of the annual Press Week celebration of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ) Kwara State Council, themed,
‘Fostering Good Governance Through Effective Journalism’, on Thursday night.
Presenting a paper, titled, “Democracy, Good Governance and Role of Citizens” at the annual Press Week celebration of, themed, ‘Fostering Good Governance Through Effective Journalism’, Senator Umar highlighted importance of transparency, accountability, and civic engagement in promoting a thriving democratic society.
The lawmaker noted that democracy is more than just elections it involves continuous participation by the people in decision-making and ensuring that public officials are held accountable.
He explained that good governance is characterized by the ethical management of resources and responsiveness to the needs of the people.
He also emphasized that citizens play a key role in this process by monitoring government activities, engaging in advocacy, and participating in civic education.
According to the senator, this will help strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions and promote national development.
Senator Umar also spoke on the challenges facing democracy in Nigeria, including political disenfranchisement, corruption, and distrust in institutions.
He encouraged citizens to overcome these obstacles by remaining active in the political space and holding their leaders accountable for their actions.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to unite in the pursuit of good governance, stating that a more engaged citizenry is vital for the progress of the nation. The event attracted notable figures from the media and civil society, who commended Senator Umar’s call for a more inclusive and participatory democracy in Nigeria.
Also, in his lecture titled, Accountability and Transparency: How journalism can foster good governance, the dean, faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, Professor Lukman Adeshina Azeez, said that the press is expected to be the watchman that should monitor the conduct of government, public agencies and public officers.
Professor Azeez, whose lecture was delivered by Oluwakemi Akerele, said that journalists are expected to keep people and the government better informed so that people can make informed decisions.
“The press should hold governmnent and public officers responsible and accountable to the people. This is why the press is referred to as the FOURTH ESTATE OF THE REALM/WATCHDOG.
The press is expected to promote proper conduct, openness, transparency, responsiveness, responsibility and accountability in government by serving as a constant watchman that should open up and discourage impropriety, bribery, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, sectionalism and other improper conduct and vices through investigative journalism.
Constitutional Duty and Good Governance:
•The media are, therefore, a critical link in the accountability chain between the government and the governed, providing information for the citizens to hold those in authority accountable and also articulating citizens’ voices and preferences for government to use in policy formulation.
•The media are the only institution with the capacity to allow and facilitate regular checks and assessments by the population of the activities of government and assist in bringing public concern and voices into the open by providing a platform for public iscussion.
•Therefore, the nature and character of the media greatly impact the governance process in any society.
•It is only when the media report, monitor, investigate and criticize the public administration’s policies and actions as well as inform and educate the citizens can good governance be enthroned.
Good Governance Being Facilitated by the Press Participation:
• Greater participation by citizens in the decision-making process allows greater transparency.
• Media stimulate participation as they report on aspects of the decision-making process and give stakeholders a voice in that process.
• Media allows for the formation of a public sphere in which a wide range of debates can take place and a variety of viewpoints be represented.
• Media are expected to ensure that political decisions are adapted to the needs of the people and affected by them.
• Media serve as a facilitator providing platforms for the citizens to have accurate and sufficient information that helps citizens make rational and informed decisions and take the right course
of action beneficial to them.
• As a feed back mechanism, the media provide the means for the citizens to register their feelings and express their assent and dissent concerning issues.
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