THE NIGERIAN MEDIA AND THE CHALLENGE OF ELECTORAL REFORMS.

THE NIGERIAN MEDIA AND THE CHALLENGE OF ELECTORAL REFORMS.


BY

DR. TOM ADABA
Nigeria experienced its first election into a representative assembly over 50 years ago. Complicated as it was then, it still stood out as a welcome variety from the village square system of participating in the choice of leadership. Elections into the system were not quite rancor free. There were complaints of lack of transparency in some quarters though nowhere near our recent past experiences.

The military who erroneously thought they could do it better came but also failed woefully. The worst complaints and elections petitions were inflicted on this nation after the 2007 General Elections. The election observers generally expressed strong reservations on the 2007 exercise saying it was nowhere near an election. The instruments of massive rigging were perfected by some politicians. Names of Americans like Mike Tyson even had to appear in our voters register when it was very obvious that the renowned boxer had not sought to naturalize in Nigeria.

This shows to what shameful extent some people could go to achieve their selfish objectives. With great sense of humility and responsibility, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on inauguration on May 29th 2007, said he would ensure that the experience of the 2007 exercise would never happen again. He indeed honored his pledge by setting up the Electoral Reform Panel headed by Nigeria’s retired Chief Justice Mohammed Uwais.

The Panel’s report was a true reflection of the aspirations of Nigerians. It is however odd and sad that today that panel report which should have been passed with a resounding applause has become an object of controversy in the National Assembly with executives bills pending. For the Media, the 14 points in the report are simply natural, fair, just, ethical and professional if we are to promote peace and high electoral standards in Nigeria. In all the recommendations that have been made in the report, the Media is bound to play a crucial role in ensuring their success.

The civic, moral and political education to inculcate “norms and values of God consciousness, has a lot to do with the Media. The programmes they set out and transmit could have a tremendous impact on the politicians and the electorate. Dispassionate reportorial, editorials or commentary of events without sensationalizing or distorting them give credibility to the media houses. There is the possibility that some anti-reform elements would want to whittle down and make nonsense of these noble recommendations made for the enthronement of electoral and democratic norms in the country.

The media have a sacred role to passionately champion the realization of the patriotic visionary contents of the report. From experience, the Nigerian media has displayed commendable virtue for effective reporting of events. However, there are a number of other relevant areas that cry for attention. If the media are gate keepers and agenda setters, these must be manifest in their treatment of major events including the Electoral Reform report. There are usually yawning gaps between reports of an event and follow-up investigations. Many times, event that were reported with such pomp and glamour get consigned to history without the citizens being informed of what happens after. The media owe it a duty to revisit some of these, especially where the citizens are shortchanged or defrauded.

As the report clearly points out, there has not been any singular case of sanctions of electoral offences. The media must follow up on such criminal actions as to make it impossible for such people to ever attain any leadership heights in the political arena. It is the media that would refresh the voters’ limited sense of history or deliberate forgetfulness.

If the media must be agenda setters, they must be visionary, honest and committed. Publicized national debates on key issues and dialogues are in the domain of the media. In the words of the report, “the 85 – year old history of Nigeria’s elections shows a progressive degeneration of outcomes. Thus the 2007 elections are believed to be the worst since the first elections held in 1922”.

 Let us now hope and pray that Nigeria has seen the very worst and will now begin to gather the ashes and reconstruct itself for a vibrant democratic future. The media have tremendously helped the process of Nigeria’s independence, united this country even during and after the civil war, driven out some military dictatorships, promoted and enhanced democratic tenets through the years. The Media has done it before; she can do it again.