A team of stakeholders from the Media and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have called for the domestication of Legislative Frameworks such as the Fiscal Responsibility Act, (FRA), Public Procurement Act (PPA) and Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) in Abia State to help media reportage on accountability.
The call was made at a one-day media roundtable that took place at Chidi-Nwosu Freedom Hall, Aba, organized by the African Centre for Human Advancement and Resource Support (CHARS-Africa), with support from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by International IDEA.
The roundtable convened practitioners from the print, radio and social media outfits based in Aba and its environs to discuss how to use the above three Legislative Frameworks for enhancing the media in promoting accountability and good governance.
The discussions focused on the limitations faced by the journalists in using these legislative frameworks for transparency and accountability in Governance and also proffered solutions to tackle the identified challenges.
The participants made observations that limited access to information, has limited the use of the framework, as there is a deliberate denial of access to information by lawmakers and public servants, which they said hinders accurate reportage and by extension, public knowledge of the tools.
The participants equally said that government interference in media operations usually suppresses media freedom through control over media unions and subtle censorship, thereby restricting journalists’ ability to report objectively.
Another observation the participants made is that the knowledge gaps among media practitioners, which often shows a lack of awareness by some journalists and poor understanding of such legislative frameworks as the FOIA, PPA and FRA, limit their ability to put the frameworks into effective use.
Other observation made include secrecy in governance that do not allow government offices to disclose information even when requested for in accordance with law; weak institutional support for journalists and public apathy towards governance.
To address the challenges identified, participants recommended: Domestication of Key Legislative Frameworks, stressing that “the government should take immediate steps to domesticate the FOI Act and Fiscal Responsibility Act at the state level to enhance accessibility and enforceability.
“That the Public Procurement Act be reformed to incorporate inputs from key stakeholders to suit the indigenes of Abia.
“There should be capacity building for journalists where they should be made to undergo periodic training to expose them to these frameworks and how to put them to practical use.”
They equally recommended that journalists should be encouraged to promote ethical journalism, as journalists are supposed to uphold accuracy and objectivity and maintain reporting based on facts in their line of engagement.
The participants equally recommended that strengthening collaboration between civil society and the media, stressing that strong synergy between civil society organizations and the media to enhance the quest for accountability through ensuring compliance with the frameworks.
Other recommendations include enhanced legal and financial protection for journalists to shield them from intimidation and enable them to discharge their professional duties genuinely without fear or favour.
Also, respect for relevant laws by government officials and public engagement in governance, where citizens should be actively involved in monitoring government activities at all levels to foster a culture of accountability, was equally recommended.
