Media Inaugurates National Complaints Commission, Monday

In the bid to strengthen public confidence in the media as a credible barometer of public opinion, the Nigerian media will on Monday, inaugurate the nine-member board of the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman.

Members of the commission who are drawn from the media, the bar, the academia, and civil society are Mr. Emeka Izeze, former Managing Director, Guardian Newspapers (chairman); Mr. A. B Mahmoud, SAN, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association; Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Paul University, Awka, Anambra State; Dr. Hussain Abdu, a Development Specialist and Country Director, Care International (Nigeria); Mr. Lanre Idowu, Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Ltd and Founder, Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME); Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA); Mrs. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, a Journalist, Lawyer and Arbitrator; Mrs. Eugenia Abu, Broadcaster, Author, and Columnist, and the Chair, House of Representatives Committee on Information.

A statement on Friday signed by President, Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), Malam Kabiru Yusuf, said the inauguration is in fulfillment of the aspirations of media practitioners across board.

The statement read, "The inauguration is a major step by the industry to strengthen public confidence in the media through prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches in media content.

"The process is being driven by the Nigeria Press Organisation (NPO,) comprising the Newspaper Proprietors' Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), along with other strategic media players and the civil society, in particular the MacArthur Foundation.

"The commission will serve as an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press quickly, fairly, and free of charge; maintain high standards of Nigerian Journalism and journalistic ethics; and defend the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.

"Prior to the February 22, 2023 announcement of the composition of the commission, each media house had been directed to institute at the newspaper level, the local Ombudsman.

"The National Ombudsman will serve as an appellate body for the local Ombudsman as well as a court of first instance."

Comments

Stop Creating Enmity, It'll Hurt You, Gov Fubara Warns Partisan Police Officers •Donates 100 Vehicles To Cut Response Time To Emergencies

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has advised partisan police officers who abandon their core professional responsibilities to pursue vested political interests to know that the enmity they fuel and eventually create will hurt them in the long run. Governor Fubara maintained that police officers are engaged and trained as professionals to protect lives and property while contributing to the desired peace in the State as a patriotic duty. The Governor insisted that it is, therefore, an aberration for any of them to think that protecting any particular individual or being one-sided in the political affairs to the detriment of the State amounts to professionalism. Governor Fubara gave the advise at the inauguration and formal handover of 100 operational vehicles acquired by his administration to the Rivers State Police Command at the Sharks Football Stadium in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. The Governor said: "I need to say this, so that you will understand. When you (Disu) ca...

Assembly Screens, Confirms Oko-Jaja, Seven Others For BoPP Board •Tasks Members On Rivers First Policy

Rivers State House of Assembly has screened and confirmed Opobo-born Barrister Lawrence Oko-Jaja, SAN, as Chairman of the Board of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement (RSBoPP). Also screened and confirmed were Dr. Ernest Ibekwe Ekwe; Dr. Mina Ogbanga; Engr. Iseleye Amachree; Engr. Adokiye Oyagiri; Engr. Gift Alex-Hart; Mrs. Grace Osaronu; and Barrister Selinah Amonieah, who will serve as members. The eight nominees had appeared for screening before the lawmakers shortly after the reading of the letter sent by the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, requesting the House to determine their suitability for appointment as members of the Board of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement. Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, read the letter by the Governor during plenary at the Hallowed Chamber of the House of Assembly, Auditorium of the Administrative Block, Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, on Friday. The S...

Wike Justifies Support For PAMO University .Inaugurates PUMS Teaching Hospital, Donates N500m

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has said that the support of his administration to PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt since its inception, has proven to be worthwhile, and therefore, not misplaced. The governor stated that in its five years of establishment; from 2018 to 2023, PAMO University of Medical Sciences is being celebrated because of the quality of students it has groomed already, and the satisfying growth it has witnessed. Wike, who spoke on Wednesday, May 24, before inauguration of PAMO Teaching Hospital in Iriebe Town of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, said the institution was the first private university established in Rivers State. The governor attributed the visible success story to the characteristic commitment, passion and sense of purpose known of the founder of the university, Dr. Peter Odili. According to him, Odili, after his years as governor of Rivers State, did not go into retirement or relocate to Abuja to join association of former g...

Nelly's SmartBriefs

Search This Blog