Leye Adwumi
19 December 2008
Head of Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Professor Ralph Akinfeleye, has appealed to lawmakers in the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly to pass the FOI bill so that media professionals can efficiently complete the assignment given to them in the nation's constitution.
Akinfeleye made the appeals in Akure while delivering a lecture at the 32nd Anniversary of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ondo State Council, entitled, "Media as the Watchdog of Democracy and the Rule of Law". It was attended by media practitioners in the state and veteran journalists from all over the country.
The university don said FOI bill is not for journalists alone, but for all citizens of the country to receive and get access to public record for information which will be used for public good.
"I once again appeal to our National Assembly members to use supersonic speed they have been using for passing any bill that relates to their welfare", he said.
He tasked the nation's lawmakers to understand and appreciate that contemporary democratic theories reveal that constructive journalism are fundamental to unadulterated democracy and rule of law.
The university don said for the media to continue to perform its basic role as the watchdog of the society, the press must have a paradigm shift from the conventional journalism to that of being a peace and consensus builder.
According to him, the fundamental role of the media in any sustainable democracy is to provide credible information for sound decision making by the policy makers.
"It is also part of the imperatives of the media in a democracy to watchdog over all the other realms in the democracy such as executive, legislative and the judiciary because without a watchdog of any type, democracy is doomed to fail", he said.
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