On Tuesday, February 8, 2022 in Abuja, media practitioners, politicians, public servants and business moguls gathered and discussed topics on the theme: The Media and Social Responsibility in Nigeria.
Experts at the occasion was necessary for strengthening the media practice in Nigeria, noting that the media should be socially responsible for the public good and that the Nigerian media should interested in what is important to the people.
The convener of the event, a public servant, Kelechukwu Okoronkwo noted that he organised the event which featured the public presentation of his new book, The Spokesman, as his 40th birthday gift to Nigeria.
“I am passionate about the media practice in Nigeria. I want things to be done professionally in the interest of the common man. I believe that if we get things right in the media, every other thing will fall in place. The colloquium and book presentation on my 40th birthday are my birthday gifts to the country”, he said.
Speakers at the event who include the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Muhammad Nami, the Special Adviser to the FIRS Chairman on Media and Communications, Johaness Oluwatobi Wojuola, former House of Representatives member, Hon. Darlington Okereke, the publisher of Global Upfront Newspaper, Madu Onuorah and the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Emmanuel Ogbeche all took turn to emphasize the social responsibility roles of the media.
The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Nami noted that Taxation deserves to be Social Responsibility Issue for Nigerian media. He implored the media in Nigeria to make taxation a social responsibility issue.
Hon. Okereke noted that Nigeria needs media which is socially responsible for the growth of democracy and wellbeing of the country.
Johaness blamed the mainstream media for the rising conflict in Nigeria, stating that it is unfortunate that the mainstream media sensationalise stories they obtain from the social media. He noted that the big media should check news items from the social media and blogs before using them.
Guest lecturer, Mr. Onuorah traced the history of press theories and noted that the best media ideal for any democracy is the media and responsibility theory which attaches responsibility to media freedom. “The media should be free but there is social responsibility attached to the freedom”, Onuorah said.
Mr. Ogbeche who reviewed the book emphasised that the media in Nigeria is not irresponsible. He however stated that there is always room for improvement. He said the media will always be on the side of the common man.
In his keynote address, Nami noted that the Nigerian media is vibrant adding that the theme of the colloquium: is necessary to further strengthen and shape the social responsibility role of the Nigeria media.
“The media has a critical role to play as a socially responsible institution. Let me provide a perspective to you as a tax administrator.
The power of the media to educate, to inform, to enlighten and ignite must be channeled for social good. Paying of taxes by citizens is a social good. When citizens pay their taxes they empower the government with the resources to provide development for the country. The media has a duty to be at the forefront of informing and enlightening citizens on their obligations and responsibilities under tax laws, while creating a channel of conversation and dialogue between government and the citizens, where citizens can demand for accountability of their tax moneys, while government in turn shows proof of use. It is through this that the efforts of development, peace, security and economic prosperity can be achieved in our society.
To be socially responsible means that you should use your media outlets to encourage what is good for the society and discourage what is bad for the society.
“Media owners must begin to see that their roles to society go beyond the agenda of wealth creation, but must see the inherent duty their platforms have towards enabling a stable, working and growing country.
I invite all segments of the media in Nigeria to continue to be socially responsible and to continue to be our partners in our bid to make taxation the pivot of national development”, Nami said.
Nami commended Mr. Okoronkwo for using the occasion of his 40th birthday to seek strengthening the media space in Nigeria for the good of the nation.
“It is my pleasure to be here today to honor a loyal, hardworking and brilliant staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, who I am proud to say works closely with me, Mr. Kelechi Okoronkwo, on this occasion of his 40th birthday colloquium and public presentation of his new book titled, THE SPOKESMAN.
Hosting a colloquium on this special day to discuss social and national issues is timely, patriotic and inspiring. I am not surprised as this is indeed the character of Mr. Okoronkwo. The conversations we would have here today on our country’s progress, its unity and the solutions that would be proffered to the challenges the country faces, is a testament to the fact that there is hope for Nigeria.
The theme of this event, tagged The Media and Social Responsibility in Nigeria is quite striking for me because it is timely and resonates with every Nigerian, and the cause for a better Nigeria. For me, Social Responsibility is simply the duty of citizens and generally individuals, to act for the betterment of society. Given this brief definition, it is fair to say that we are in a time when there are obvious lapses in social responsibility, and the media, as the fourth estate of the realm, has a key role to play in bridging these lapses.
The media generally has been an important tool for Nigeria’s stability and I want to commend them for their efforts and contribution to nation-building and national development. I am certain that the discussions we will have here today will further enrich and empower this fourth arm of government to do more and better in the exercise of its powers.
For any democracy to subsist and grow it needs a vibrant and responsible media.
In the history of communication development, the social responsibility role of the press became important with the growth and spread of democracy around the world. Democratic states granted freedom of speech and press freedom. Soon, media owners and practitioners became so free and selfish in their activities that they no longer cared about what was good for the society. The media became too commercialised and personalised to the detriment of the general public. To correct this, development communicators came up with the Media and Social Responsibility ideal which attaches Social Responsibility to Press Freedom. The ideal is that the media, in the exercise of its freedom should not lose sight of being socially responsible. I strongly agree with this ideal and I recommend it for the media in Nigeria.
It goes without saying that the media in Nigeria today is vibrant and powerful. When it decides to take on an issue that issue becomes “the issue.” Let me give an example that we can relate with: when Nigeria entered into a recession in the year 2016, due to the drop in the price of crude oil and consequently the country’s earnings, the conversation on recession was all over the press. It was discussed on radio, on television and read over newspapers, magazines and social media forums. Nigerians were consequently using the word “recession” in almost every sentence of their communication, whether they understood it or not. When you met a market woman then and expressed shock that the price of her fish had gone up by N500, her reply was “na recession cause am.”
This is one example out of a million others. The media has the power to shape issues, to define conversations, to awaken the mind of people, to ignite, to enlighten, to inform, and even conversely, to also misinform. The information that most of us here today hold, that enables us to take personal and social decisions have mostly been formed and defined by what we have seen, heard or read on various media platforms.
I’m glad that this discussion is coming up at this time, especially when the government is making efforts in several fronts to grow the economy and raise the standard of living. Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2021 Finance Act which will make tax administration in Nigeria easier and better, and also open new sources of revenue to fund governance.
In this regard the media has a critical role to play as a socially responsible institution. Let me provide a perspective to you as a tax administrator”, he noted.