Haruna Urges Media to Hold Decision Makers Accountable

The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mallam Mohammed Haruna has called on the Nigerian media to extend its focus on accountability beyond politicians and hold responsible every person or group whose decisions and actions affect society.

Speaking at the Media Roundtable on “The Accountability Imperative: Why and How to Hold the Politicians’ Feet to Fire” organised recently by FrontFoot Media Initiative, Lagos, Haruna said various other persons beyond politicians decide issues for society.

Haruna is a Fellow of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the African Centre for Democratic Governance.

At the roundtable, the INEC Commissioner stated: “Big Business, Big Labour, Big Pharma, and, of course, Big Media, etc., all make decisions that affect people.

“Therefore, we must go beyond the Constitutional enunciations for the Media to hold the government accountable to the public and hold every institution whose decisions and actions impact people and society to account for their decisions and actions.”

Haruna, who is also a former managing director of the New Nigerian Newspaper and renowned columnist, charged journalists to equip themselves with knowledge of three critical rules for reporting political developments in the country.

“As the leader in holding not just politicians but all other groups accountable to the people, the Media must be guided by knowledge, ethics (integrity, courage, professionalism, impartiality, etc.) and civility.

“The first step the Media must take in holding politicians accountable to the public is to be knowledgeable about politics and everything else it reports. This should start with knowing the rules that guide our politics.”