Bauchi Governor commends media for building a democratic culture in Nigeria

From Paul  Orude Bauchi

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has commended the role of  the Nigerian Media in building democratic culture , institutions and practices in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.

Mohammed gave the commendation while speaking in Abuja on Thursday, when he chaired a public presentation of a book entitled The Media and Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy: Threats , Constraints and Resilience, organized by the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought . 

The Governor, who performed  the double role of Chairman and Chief Presenter of the groundbreaking of the book, was represented by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity  , Comrade Mukhtar Gidado .

He thanked the authors and editors for a well researched scholarly endeavor saying the book would have a direct practical impact on media development and the Nigerian democracy .

He opined that the media  has contributed immensely to the sustenance of Nigeria’s  democracy, especially in improving how politicians relate to the Media while in office, the relationship between politics , politicians and the media when their interests.

 He observed that the current debate in Nigeria regarding the place of the media in Nigeria’s democratic transformation and consolidation, relating to the role of the media in empowering civic spaces and strengthening democratic governance and the challenges the media face in engaging in such undertakings .

“ It is a known fact that politicians can sometimes be excessive in tying to constrain the media and in turn the media, especially in this age of new and social media, can be excessive, intolerant and volatile in defence of its space or territory,” he observed.

He called on practitioners of both domains to continually advocate for dialogue which will stimulate understanding  , tolerance , respect and the spirit of give and take for the greater public good .

In his concluding remarks , Governor  Mohammed called on politicians , journalists and citizens to make good use of the book and cautioned practitioners to shunt away bias reporting of events and remain steadfast with their professional calling .

Earlier in his welcome address , the Chief Host , Dr. Sam Amadi  applauded the Bauchi State Governor for his media friendly disposition and more on an account of been a media practitioner and a politician  which reflects the essential concern and trust of the book .

 Amadi recounted how the media was navigating African’s most populous nation , Nigeria , and its mediated democracy. 

 He said despite its constitutional role , recognizable as the fourth estate of the realm, the Nigerian media has a history of confronting daunting challenges headlong.

The book written by Paul Obi was reviewed by professor Abiodun Adeniyi while the event was attended by renown politicians , diplomats and media practitioners .