Extend focus on accountability beyond politicians, INEC tells media

A National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mohammed Haruna, has urged the media to extend its focus on accountability beyond politicians.

He spoke recently in Lagos at a media roundtable on ‘The Accountability Imperative: Why and How to Hold the Politicians’ Feet to Fire’, organised by FrontFoot Media Initiative.

He noted that various other persons beyond politicians decide issues for society.

“Big business, big labour, big pharma, and, of course, big media, etc., all make decisions that affect people.

“Therefore, we must go beyond the constitutional enunciations for the media to hold the government accountable to the public and hold every institution whose decisions and actions impact people and society to account for their decisions and actions,” he said.

“As the leader in holding not just politicians but all other groups accountable to the people, the media must be guided by knowledge, ethics (integrity, courage, professionalism, impartiality, etc.) and civility in language.

“The first step the media must take in holding politicians accountable to the public is to be knowledgeable about politics and everything else it reports. This should start with knowing the rules that guide our politics”.

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