Don laments absence of democratic culture and good governance in Nigeria 

A lecturer with the Department of Mass Communication and Media Technology, Lead City University, Ibadan, Dr. Bayonle Busari, on Monday, lamented the abysmal failure of political parties to imbibe democratic culture and tenets of good governance.

He also observed that even though democracy was copied from western nations, Nigerian politicians failed woefully to carry along democratic culture to build internal democracy for growth and development of the country.

This is just as he urged the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ) to set up a welfare scheme that will cater for the need of indigent journalists across the country.

Busari who doubles as the Coordinator, Postgraduate Programme in the Department, made the declarations, while delivering a paper titled, “Role of Media Practitioners in Evaluation of Fulfilment of 2023 Campaign Promises”, at the 2023 Press Week of Correspondents’ Chapel of NUJ, Oyo State Council.

According to him, journalists are expected to constantly put elected leaders on their toes in order to ensure that the promises made during the campaigns are fulfilled, stating that as part of their duties media practitioners have a role to set the agenda for the society in which they operate.

He added that it is the responsibility of media professionals to determine what the society discusses, how it is discussed and the effect of the discourse.

Busari who maintained that the media should put leaders on the spot and hold them accountable on their electioneering promises as well as the discharge of the primary responsibilities of government, enjoined them to shun all tendencies that will expose them to patronage from politicians which may make them to compromise their integrity.

While lamenting the condition of many journalists in the country,  he stated that many journalists are being owed salaries, the situation which he said is making them willing tools in the hands of politicians and political parties.

He however advised the NUJ to set up a welfare scheme from where indigent journalists can benefit, noting that this will help to reduce the effect of the precarious situation which some of the journalists face.

He said, “The relevance of the topic can be situated in the agenda setting theory which places a duty on the media to set the agenda for the society in which they operate. This means that it is the responsibility of media professionals to determine what the society discusses, how it is discussed, and the effect of the discourse.

“Secondly, the relevance of the topic comes by virtue of the role and expectation from the larger society, for the media to put leaders on the spot and hold them accountable on their electioneering promises as well as the discharge of the primary responsibilities of government. This is a duty that elected leaders owe the public. This duty, primarily, includes putting a tab on campaign promises made by politicians and the extent to which these promises are being kept.

“Where it is observed that politicians are deviating from the pact that they have signed with the people the media owe it as a duty to raise the red flag and call such leader to the probable failure.

“I will call on the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to rise and take up the gauntlet by ensuring that all journalists who have been so employed are paid commensurate remuneration by their employers. This may require putting in place an appropriate legal framework to give life to this proposal. Secondly, there is a need to have an insurance scheme for journalists in order to mitigate the hardship and risk which they are prone to by the nature of their calling.

“I will also implore the leadership of the NUJ, across board to set up a welfare scheme from where indigent journalists can benefit in order to reduce the effect of the precarious situation, which some of them face, making them willing tools in the hands of politicians and political parties.

“On a personal note, there is a need for us to shun all tendencies that will expose us to patronage from politicians, which may make us to compromise our integrity. I doubt if we have any journalist today who is not a graduate either from the university or polytechnic. This presupposes that we need to work on our self-esteem. The way politicians describe us, sometimes, behind us is better imagined! They see us as an item that can be sourced at a given prize and disposed at will. This situation is unfortunate, and should be unacceptable. We should stop making ourselves available to the political class as disposable materials.”

The Chairman of Oyo NUJ, Chief Ademola Babalola, in his own remarks, said there is the need to always remind political office holders of their campaign promises which will be the yardstick in measuring their performance in office, urging government at all levels to priotise infrastructural development across the country and create enabling environment for journalists to thrive whom should be seen as partners in progress towards the development and progress of Nigeria.

The Chairman of the chapel, Raji Adebayo, on his part, urged politicians to fulfil their campaign promises for the people to enjoy dividends of democracy.

He said, “We all know that as the voice of the voiceless and watchdog for the masses, we have major tasks of  making the political office holders accountable to the  electorate. I want to use this opportunity to implore our politicians, particularly the political office holders from the local government level to the state and at the federal level to deliver on their campaign promises, because this is the only way the dividends of democracy can get to the masses.”