In order to strengthen public confidence in the media through prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches in media content, the Nigerian Press Organisation, NPO has taken a bold step to kick-start its new Ombudsman mechanism with the announcement of a nine-man board of the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC).
This was announced via a press statement on Wednesday by Malam Kabiru A. Yusuf, president of the NPAN and NPO.
The NPO, comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), with the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), mid-wifed the process with other strategic media players and the civil society, in particular the MacArthur Foundation.
The commission, which membership was drawn from the media, bar, the academia, and civil society, has Mr. Emeka Izeze, a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, FNGE, and former Managing Director of The Guardian Newspapers as chairman. Members include: Mr. A. B Mahmoud, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, and a member of the Body of Benchers; Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Paul University, Anambra State; Dr. Hussain Abdu, a Development and Humanitarian Specialist, and Country Director, Care International (Nigeria) ; Mr. Lanre Idowu, FNGE, Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Limited, and Founder, Diamond Awards For Media Excellence (DAME); Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mrs. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, FNGE, journalist, lawyer and arbitrator; Mrs. Eugenia Abu, broadcaster, author and columnist, and Managing Partner/CEO, Eugenia Abu Media; as well as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Information.
According to Mallam Kabiru Yusuf, “The commission will serve as an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press quickly, fairly, and free of charge; maintain high standards of Nigerian journalism and journalistic ethics; and defend the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.”
Prior to the announcement, Yusuf further informed, each media house had been directed to institute, at the newspaper level, a local Ombudsman to tackle ethical issues in their jurisdiction. The National Ombudsman will serve as an appellate body for the local Ombudsman as well as a court of first instance.
