15112022

MEDIA: Owners, journalists, stakeholders
agree on code of conduct, co-regulation,
Ombudsman (SEE PHOTOS ON PG 13)
• Sam Amuka, Osoba, Obaigbena, Ibru, others chart way
forward•Don’t kill NPC, Lai Mohammed pleads
By Clifford Ndujihe, Politics Editor
Ahmed, Mr. Feyi Smith, conduct, ethics
and Mr. Martins Oloja The stakeholders noted
among others.
that: “The Nigerian media
has a rich track record
Specifically, the co-regulatory
mechanism of rooting for public welfare
and protecting the
adopted will consist of
members of the media, underdog. That tradition
civil society and the public
sector.
Journalism should be so-
holds that the practice of
If fully implemented, the cially responsive and responsible
through the
co-regulatory framework
will stave off strangulating
government regulacent,
and credible account
pursuit of a true, fair, detion
and render the Nigerian
Press Council, NPC, terest.
of issues in the public in-
redundant, a development
that made the Minly
and willing subscribe to
“Consequently, we freeister
of Information and the following ethical principles
as germane to the
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
who was represented
by Mr Francis al practice of journalism
free, fair, and profession-
Nwosu, NPC Executive in Nigeria, and hold that
Secretary, to plead with it is the duty of every journalist
to observe its pro-
the media stakeholders
not to kill the NPC. visions.”
The provisions cover editorial
independence, ac-
CRITICAL stakehold
ers in the media industry,
yesterday, agreed
on a 41-point code of ethics
for Nigerian journalists.
They also adopted coregulation
instead of a
self-regulation mechanism.
Both measures are
part of “an attempt to
jumpstart a fresh attempt
to put in place rules to
guide professional conduct
and a regulatory
council to support the efforts
to hold journalists accountable
to their publics
and deepen public trust in
their work.”
Stakeholders, who took
the decisions, yesterday,
at a Rountable on “Deepening
Media Professionalism
Through Co-Regulation,”
in Lagos included
the Newspapers Proprietors
Association of
Nigeria, NPAN; Nigerian
Guild of Editors, NGE;
Nigerian Union of Journalists,
NUJ; Broadcasting
Organisation of Nigeria,
BON; Guild of Corporate
Online Publishers,
GOCOP; and Independent
Broadcasters Association
of Nigeria, IBAN.
They were backed by
veterans of the media industry
such as Chairman/
Publisher of Vanguard
Newspapers, Mr Sam
Amuka; former Ogun
State Governor, Chief
Olusegun Osoba; Mr Ray
Ekpu; Mr. Lade Bonuola;
Dr Tonnie Iredia (via
Zoom); Publisher of This-
Day Newspapers, Prince
Nduka Obaigbena; Publisher
of The Guardian
Newspapers, Mrs. Maiden
Ibru; and Chairman of
Daiily Trust Newspapers/
President of NPAN and
Nigeria Press Organisation,
NPO, Malam Kabiru
Yusuf.
The event was a gathering
of who is who in the
media industry, in what
Chief Osoba described as
the best ever gathering of
media gurus he has ever
seen since he joined the
profession in 1964.
Also at the event were
General Manager and
Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard
Newspapers, Mr.
Gbenga Adefaye; NGE
President, Mr Mustapha
Isah; NUJ President, Mr.
Chris Isiguzo; Editor of
Vanguard Newspapers,
Mr. Eze Anaba; Mr. Richard
Akinola, Mr. Lanre
Arogundade, Mr. Lanre
Idowu, Mrs Kadaria
Code of
From left, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab
Ahmed; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and Chairman, Sterling Bank
Plc, Mr. Asue Ighodalo at the 28th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja,
yesterday.
Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2022 — 5
POCKET CARTOON
curacy and fairness, access
to information, privacy
of individuals, bribery
and corruption, public interest,
protection of sources
of information, plagiarism,
decency, protection
of children and minors,
discrimination, hate
speech, violence and conflict
sensitivity, gender
sensitivity, social responsibility,
and bill of rights
to cater for security and
welfare of journalists.
The ethics include allowing
professional journalists
to decide editorial
content, and journalists
must ensure that the public
receive reliable, factual,
accurate, balanced and
fair reporting. Also, a journalist
should not solicit or
accept bribe, gratification,
or patronage to distort,
suppress, or publish information;
and a journalist
should refrain from using
offensive, abusive, or
vulgar language, as well
as presenting lurid details,
in words, sound, or
images, of violence, sexual
acts, abhorrent, or horrid
scenes among others.
The 2022 code of ethics
ratified, yesterday, will replace
the 1998 Code of
ethics for Nigerian journalists.
Media
co-regulation,
Ombudsman
To end what was
dubbed as the government’s
strangulating regulation
worsened by the
infamous Press Council
Amendment Bill (2029,
which surfaced a public
hearing of the Legislature
on June 17, 2021, the
stakeholders adopted a
co-regulation, which will
incorporate the public in
place of self-regulation.
This is expected to reduce
distrust and deepen public
confidence.
According to them, the
one of the angst of the
media against the Nigerian
Press Council is the
fact that a majority of its
members are either appointed
by the minister or
the president, a situation
that does not conduce for
trust among media professionals.
Thus, the media gurus
adopted a two-tier system
of Ombudsman mechanism:
Local or Zonal Ombudsman;
and Industrywide
Ombudsman.
The organs of the Industry-wide
Ombudsman are
Appointment panel;
Board, Complaints Committee;
Independent Reviewer;
and Executive
Director.
Essentially, the Ombudsman
will handle
Continues on Page 35
Whose faces should be on new naira notes?
By Prudence George
The face of late
G e n e r a l
Odimegwu Ojukwu
should be in one of the
new naira notes because
of his sacrifice and
struggle to liberate the
South-east region of the
country. Having his face
on any of the new notes
will give Igbo a sense of
belonging in the country.
—Uchenna Stanley,
Businessman
I
strongly suggest
that only faces of
heroes of our struggle
for nationhood and
oneness should be on
the new naira notes.
Faces of people such as
Late Dora Akunyli and
Fela Anikulapo should
be on the new notes.
—Chinakwaeze
Ijeoma, Student
The face of Obafemi
Awolowo should be
retained in the N100
note. Former President
Goodluck Jonathan also
deserves to have his face
on any of the new naira
notes. The legacies his
administration left
behind merits him the
honour.
—Okanazu Chioma,
Nurse
The face of Nnamdi
Azikiwe should be
retained on the N500
note because of his good
deeds and contribution
to the development of
Nigeria. Other heroes
whose faces previously
appeared on the naira
notes should be
retained.
— - A y a n d e l e
Oluwadamilare, Civil
Servant
If faces of living
heroes and legends
are permitted to be on
currency notes than I
suggest that the face of
Babatunde Fashola,
SAN, should be on any
of the new naira notes.
He has done well for the
country as a former
governor and Minister of
Works.
— O r a z u l i k e
Olisaemeka, Writer
I
will recommend
that only the faces
of people who have
accomplished
exemplary feats should
be on the new naira
note. Celebrities
should also be
honoured in the new
naira notes.
— O k e s a n j o
Damilola, Student