University Don urges media to practice internal democracy

A professor of Applied Communications from the University of Ibadan, Ayo Ojebode, has advised journalists and other media professionals to always practice media inclusion in their reportage, particularly as the 2023 general elections draw nearer.

Speaking on the topic, “Giving Roots to Democracy and the Democratic Culture: The Need for Media Introspection”, at a Media Stakeholders’ Meeting, organised by the Institute for Media and Society (IMS), in Lagos, the University don harped on the need for media houses to ensure inclusion in all their activities as it is difficult to promote inclusion outside without first practicing inclusion at home.

“We need to also develop democratic culture at home before taking on others on democratic practice. 

“How democratic is our election at various NUJ chapels?, when we send out people for training our organisations, do we ensure gender balance?

“We need to nurture democratic values intentionally in our various media houses before we can hold others accountable for same,” he said.

Another Professor of Communications, from the University of Lagos, Abigail Ogwezzy, who spoke on Women’s Participation in the Electoral Process: Some Reflections”, decried the dismal electoral representation of women in political office. 

Ogwezzy condemned the National Assembly for the recent setbacks suffered by bills that could have promoted the plight of women in the country, reeling out some statistics to support her position. 

“Out of the available 1,533 political seats available at each election, women representation over the years has been less than 6%. 1999 recorded 2.5% of women representation. 

“That of the subsequent years are 3.7% in 2003; 5.4% in 2007; 6% in 2011; 4,7% in 2015; and 5% in 2019.

“Similarly, the proportion of female candidates for national and state-level elections generally reduced,” she said.

She urged media professionals to step up their games in giving more coverage to women, even if it will take reporting in the language the women at the grassroots find easy to express themselves.

Earlier in his opening remarks,  the Director of Institute For Media and Society, Akin Akingbulu, expressed gratitude to their partners, International Press Centre (IPC), European Union (EU), for the support to democratic governance in Nigeria.

He explained that the essence of organising such media stakeholders’ meeting and other related programmes periodically was to ensure that the media as the fourth realm of the estate continue to be the watchdog of the society, thereby strengthening democratic process. 

The media stakeholders’ meeting was well attended by media professionals from different media organisations.