The United States of America Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, on Monday commended the Nigerian media for playing critical roles in ensuring violence-free and credible general elections.
Entwistle gave the commendation at a discussion on: “The Media and Nigeria’s 2015 General Elections.”
It was organised by the US Embassy to commemorate World Press Freedom Day.
The ambassador explained that the Nigerian media impressed upon the politicians that the elections must be violence-free and credible and that the era of violence and shenanigans was over.
He said: “This is an exciting time in Nigeria as the nation begins its first transfer of power between political parties via democratic means.
“The US remains deeply committed to working with you, the Nigerian people and with your government for many years to come.
“Let me begin by commending the media for playing a vital role in Nigeria’s historical democratic exercise.
“Your reporting set the public’s expectations for the elections, a process judged by domestic and international observers as credible and transparent with fairly limited violence.”
The envoy particularly commended the media for educating the public on the use of the Permanent Voter Card, which he said greatly contributed to the overall success of the elections.
Entwistle also lauded the media for the manner in which it took up the cause of non-violence and regularly calling on candidates to publicly take the non-violence pledge.
“The Nigerian people decided and they are the true victors of this exercise,” he said.
The ambassador said free media satisfied the public’s need to know what affects their well-being and quality of life and for governments to know peoples’ opinion on policies and actions.
He, however, said great freedom came with great responsibilities, explaining: “Good journalism relies on accurate, indepth and critical reporting of facts on matters of public concern or interest”.
The envoy said with Nigeria’s Freedom of Information Act in place, individuals and organisations could test the application of the law in its broadest terms.
He added: “Your own Freedom of Information Act benefits all stakeholders – government, media, civil society and the general public.
“For the media, this law has the potential to make it possible to check the facts and underlying assumptions put forward by stakeholders on every issue.
“However, it also lays a serious responsibility on journalists to use the available information responsibly.”
A Guest Speaker at the discussion, Imoni Amarere, noted that the 2015 polls were the most massive ever in the history of elections coverage in Nigeria.
Amarere, the Managing Director of Daar Communications Services Limited, said the media displayed a high level of professionalism and responsibility before, during and after the elections.
He, however, expressed regret that some media outlets stoked the fires of bitterness and crossed the borderline of decency by succumbing to political pressure, proprietary interest and lure of advertisement revenue.
Another Guest Speaker, Samson Itodo, noted that the impact of the social media provided a new dimension in the elections.
Itodo, who is the President of Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth, and Advancement, however, expressed displeasure that hate campaigns, political slander, deliberate misinformation and incitements were orchestrated by the social media usage.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the UN General Assembly declared May 3 as World Press Freedom Day to highlight the importance of a free press.
The day was also to remind governments of their duty to uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The day received inspiration from the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African journalists in 1991.
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