Nigerian media tasked on tracking election promises

The Nigerian media have been challenged to track the campaign promises of elected public servants as a means of checkmating their performance.

The Director of the International Press Centre (IPC) Lagos, Mr. Lanre Arogundade gave the charge at a media training workshop organized by the IPC in collaboration with the UK-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Arogundade outlined methods of tracking public office holders’ campaign promises as follows:

• Data of promises
• Monitoring reports by Independent Organisation
• FOI bill-Freedom of Information bill
• The budget (so important)
• Investigative Journalism (ever so important)

Very Risky

Mr. Arogundade said a cue must be taken from the western media partners at ensuring that campaign promises are kept, especially in such areas that greatly affect the livelihood of tax payers, communities and general citizens.

The Director of the IPC cautioned that “tracking election promises through investigative journalism is very risky” and should be taken very seriously.

He said: "investigative journalism still remained very prominent in tracking electoral promises of elected officials."

Social Media

A broadcast journalist and an online editor from Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Tony Ekata, who talked on web writing and writing for radio noted that efforts should be made by correspondents to ensure the accuracy of their stories.

He added that radio reportage just like online writing must be made to be simple with short relevant content.

Ekata said the business of journalism remained very relevant, especially in this age of citizens’ journalism and the usage of the social media.

FOI Bill

On the freedom of information bill, just signed into law by Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, a speaker, Tive Denedo, of the Media Right Agenda in Nigeria said the FOI law had come to stay as a mainstream backbone for the Nigerian media.

He said the bill would strengthen the work of journalists in tracking election promises made by those elected.

Denedo said journalists must understand that the law carried a lot of responsibilities.

The forum brought practicing journalists from the print, radio, television and social media together to brainstorm on the techniques of election reportage, tracking election campaign promises and writing for radio and the web.

Uche Iheanacho(VON)