The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Tambawal, have promised to cooperate with journalists seeking information under the Freedom of Information Act for the public good.
Represented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC Ekiti South), Akpabio said the Senate under his leadership would not deny any journalist access to public interest information.
He said this in his paper presentation at the Retreat held by the Senate Press Corps in Keffi, Nasarawa State at the weekend.
Also the Clerk to the National Assembly represented by the Secretary, Research and Information, Mr Ali Umar said; “since Democracy provides a more favourable environment for development, management of the National Assembly will continue to provide conducive working environment for journalists for very balanced and objective reportage.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ahmed Wadada (SDP Nasarawa West), said for development to flow with Democracy in Nigeria, Nigerians needed to move away from sentimental reasoning and conducts.
He explained that “Discriminatory tendencies among Nigerians of all ages and status must stop for genuine development to take place and for the country to remain more united and peaceful.
“For genuine development to flow with Democracy in Nigeria, Journalists must speak truth to power in making those holding positions of authorities accountable to the citizenry.”
A former Deputy Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Professor Shola Omotola in his paper presentation on “Developmental Impact of the Executive on Nigeria’s Democracy, 1999-2024,” said “successive elected governments at the federal level since May 1999, have by policy formulation and execution, tried to effect development across the sectors but failed in the area of poverty alleviation let alone eradication.”
The failure to effectively tackle poverty among Nigerians by successive governments according to him, has made development, as a vital component of democracy, to be substantially missing in Nigeria over the years.
Professor Omotola said; “The theme of the retreat, “Democracy and Development: How far, So far, for Nigeria?” is therefore very apt timely and cogent.
“Democracy and development are inextricably interconnected and must flow together. The very reason journalists in Nigeria need to speak truth to power.
“Development is basically about the people reaching an acceptable standard of living, having the basic things on which they need to live decently; housing, shelter, clothing, food nutritionally balanced diet, portable water, clean environment, etc.
“All hindrances to these in Nigeria from corruption to bad policies etc, need to be exposed from time to time by journalists who are the watchdogs of the society.”
He however added that for Nigeria to have sustained the practice of Democracy for more than 24 years and remaining as an entity shows that development would surely follow.
The two-day retreat with the theme ‘Democracy and Development: How Far, So Far, for Nigeria’,was attended by over 100 members of the Nigerian Senate Press Corps (SPC).
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