In a bid to strengthen public confidence as a credible barometer of public opinion, the Nigerian media is set to inaugurate a nine-member board of the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman.
Members of the commission who are drawn from the media, the bar, the academia, and civil society are Mr. Emeka Izeze , FNGE, former Managing Director, Guardian Newspapers (Chairman), Mr. A. B Mahmoud, SAN, OON, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Academics) Paul University, Awka, Anambra State; Dr. Hussain Abdu, a Development Specialist and Country Director, Care International (Nigeria); Mr. Lanre Idowu, FNGE, Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Ltd. and Founder, Diamond Awards For Media Excellence (DAME); Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mrs. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, FNGE, a Journalist, Lawyer and Arbitrator ; Mrs. Eugenia Abu, Broadcaster, Author, and Columnist, and the Chair, House of Representatives Committee on Information.
The Inauguration, scheduled for Monday, April 3, has been described as a major step by the industry to strengthen public confidence in the media through prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches in media content.
A statement signed by the President of both the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria NPAN and Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), Malam Kabiru A. Yusuf said that the process is being driven by the following bodies:
Nigeria Press Organisation (NPO) comprising
The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN)
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE)
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)
The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON)
The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP)
As well as other strategic media players and the civil society, in particular, the MacArthur Foundation.
He said that the commission will serve as an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press quickly, fairly, and free of charge; maintain high standards of Nigerian Journalism and journalistic ethics; and defend the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.
It would be recalled that prior to the February 22, 2023 announcement of the composition of the commission, each media house had been directed to institute at the newspaper level, the local Ombudsman. The National Ombudsman will serve as an appellate body for the local Ombudsman as well as a court of first instance.
