18 June 2008
editorial
Abuja — A few days to his first anniversary in office, President Umaru Yar'adua became more visible in the media as he tried to explain his programmes and defend his government's actions and inactions.
Within a week, he spoke to Agence France Presse (AFP), the Financial Times of London and held a breakfast meeting with media chiefs, before crowning it with a media chat on May 29, exactly a year since he took the oath of office.
In the main, the president talked on the state of his health, the nature of his ailment and why he had to go to Germany to seek medical attention. In addition, he debunked the general perception among the people, of his style of governance as being slow, arguing that planning and adherence to due process are the corner stone of his administration. Specifically, the president also unveiled his plans for the energy sector and other items on the seven-point agenda. The media blitz, according to reports, has increased the president's approval rating among Nigerians, since owing to these explanations, people are now better informed about how they are governed. This is a step in the right direction. The president, in our view, should be the chief salesman of his policies and one of the ways to do this is by regular interaction with Nigerians through the media.
Remarkably, even during military regimes, some Heads of States or their information ministers held regular sessions with the press. We agree that owing to the pressure of office, President Yar'adua may not be available for regular interface with members of the fourth estate of the realm. However, we suggest that he delegates this important aspect of statecraft to a senior government official of cabinet rank. The Obasanjo government had a plethora of aides who not only attacked the president's real or perceived enemies but also projected government's image and sold its programmes. At intervals, President Olusegun Obasanjo himself used to hold a monthly radio programme, 'The president explains', where he fielded questions from ordinary Nigerians, in addition to his televised "media chat."
Sadly, the present administration does not seem to have an effective information dissemination machinery as it appears to operate in fits and starts. At different times, the minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa and Information Minister John Odey, as well as the president's Special Adviser on Media, Segun Adeniyi regularly spoke on behalf of the government. But sometimes they contradict one another as happened in the case of NITEL, where Mr Odey said that the sale had been reversed, only to be contradicted by the presidential spokesman soon afterwards. Worse still, ministers of the same cabinet, more often than not, disagree openly on policy matters. These disagreements sign post the absence of a clear government position and send conflicting signals to the polity.
It is true that in a government where the majority are politicians, many ministers will like the visibility which media organs offer. However, to avoid encroaching on one another's turf, ministers should restrict themselves to their ministries while a presidential spokesman usually states the position of the administration. The Federal Government should have a clear spokes person who can always be referred to to for the government's position on issues of the day. In addition, President Yar'adua should, as the administration best salesman, once in a while take the stage for maximum media impact.
It is obvious that Inadequate or total absence of clear information is the fertile ground on which rumour germinates and grows to dangerous proportions. The Yar'adua government should prevent this scenario by communicating its policies to the people clearly and as regularly as possible. This will eliminate any chance for the opposition or even "mischief makers" to cash in as they usually do whenever there is a vacuum. In this day of instant communication, no government can afford to keep mute and expect its citizens to be just guessing what it may be up to.
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