Editors link weakening of Office of Auditor General by Governors to Corruption

A panoply of editors and publishers has linked the widening net of corruption especially at state and local government levels to the emasculation of the Office of Auditor General by governors and local government chairmen respectively.

This was one of the highlights of a communique of the 3^rd FrontFoot Media Roundtable on the Nexus Between Media and Government Accountability held in Lagos on Thursday, August 15, 2024.

Below is the full communique:

COMMUNIQUE OF THE THIRD FRONTFOOT MEDIA ROUNDTABLE ON 15 AUGUST 2024

Forty editors gathered at the Third FrontFoot Media Roundtable on 15 August 2024 to discuss “The Nexus Between Media and Government Accountability”.

The editors came from leading print and online publications in Lagos. Two editors came from the Daily Trust newspaper in Abuja, while FrontFoot’s Sonala Olumhense participated virtually from New York.

Mr Lanre Idowu reported on the work of the media ombudsman. He said the body would enhance public confidence in the media by promoting higher standards of journalism ethics and defending the profession. He disclosed that the Media Complaints Commission has resolved one of the cases brought to it to the satisfaction of the parties involved and asked the public to take advantage of the forum.

FrontFoot Media Initiative organised the forum to provide feedback to the media community on its three-year training programme for journalists across the country on the rudiments of audit reporting for enhanced government accountability. FrontFoot held two-day workshops in Benin, Awka, Abuja, Lagos, and Gombe.

The Media Roundtable provided a forum for a wide-ranging discourse on the state of media practice by those at the forefront.

The senior media personnel

• OBSERVED that following the path of consistent reportage of the statutory government audit reports at federal, state and local government levels would enable the media to improve its ability to hold governments accountable.

-Audit reports are mandatory for all levels of government per the 1999 Nigerian constitution

-Governments produce the audits, thus providing credible insight into managing state resources.

• DECRIED how governors have expanded their powers to emasculate the office of the Auditor-General

-the absence of official support of any kind to the media despite the growing and high cost of essential inputs in the industry

– the many hindrances in the way of media scrutiny of governments as stipulated in Chapter 2, Sections 2 and 22 of the Constitution

• EMPHASISED the imperative of collaboration among players and stakeholders for the sustainability of the media ecosystem. They called for enhanced cooperation among the media and civil society organisations such as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Media Rights Agenda and the FrontFoot Media Initiative to develop training and support programmes.
• CONCERNED about the Intellectual Property scene and how Google currently deals with Nigerian media houses,
• RESOLVED that the media must act in several positive ways to uphold its constitutional obligations and ensure its continued survival to serve Nigeria.

–Consider the establishment of a Libel Defence Fund to assist media houses facing legal attacks for defamation

–Improve the content and context of reporting of all issues, including government audit reporting

– Enhance professionalism within its ranks to minimise troubling trends such as wilful plagiarism, wrongful or non-attribution of story sources

-Pay attention to technology’s paradoxical attributes for the media. Tech is an enabler and is growing in application in the industry. However, it has created a severe divide between tech-compliant personnel deficient in journalism know-how and experienced journalists who need more digital technical knowledge and ability. The media must bridge the gap between technology and journalism.

–The media must demand government support through tariffs and policies to create an enabling environment for sustainability. The media must reinvent itself.

–The media must prioritise capacity building and education for its new intakes and retraining for old hands. Passion must exist alongside ethics, capacity, and knowledge.

– Editors and supervisors must pay closer attention to the activities and output of outstation personnel and ensure compliance with organisational ethos.

Editors must get correspondents to do follow-ups, as too many of our stories go unnoticed due to a lack of sustained reporting.

SIGNED

Eze Anaba, President, Nigerian Guild of Editors

Ken Ugbechie, Vice President (South), Guild of Corporate Online Publishers.

Emeka Izeze, Director & Partner, FrontFoot Media Initiative.