By Suleiman Anyalewechi
A call has been made for a strong collaboration, between Civil Society Organizations and the Media for the purpose of enhancing the quest for accountability and transparency in governance in Abia state
This is even as the domestication of key legislative frameworks has been advocated as a veritable panacea to their full compliance and enforcement at the state levels .
These were some of the outcome of a one day Media Talk Shop on support to civil society advocacy towards strengthening the implementation and observation of such key legislative frameworks as the Fiscal Responsibility Act ,Public Procurement Act and Freedom of Information Act FoB.
The Roundtable which was convened for Media practitioners from the Print, Broadcast and Social Media outfits based in Aba, dwelt extensively on how to effectively use some of the existing legislative frameworks in enhancing accountability and transparency in governance at all levels in the State
In a communique issued on Saturday, February 15, 2025 by Okoye Chuka Peter and Amaka Biachi, Programme Officer, and Executive Director CHARS-Africa, organizers of the workshop, participants urged the Government to take urgent steps to domesticate the FOI Act, Fiscal Responsibility Act FRA and Public Procurement Act PPA to enhance accessibility and enforceability.
Forum particularly called for the reform of PPA, to incorporate inputs from key stakeholders, with a view to aligning its provisions with the aspirations and interests of Abia residents.
To ensure the ability of the Media to effectively play its roles in the observation of the Acts, participants called for the independence of practitioners, and adequate training on how to effectively apply the existing legislative frameworks to promote good governance practices .
“Media professionals should be made to undergo periodic training to expose them to the provisions of these existing legislative frameworks and how to put them to practical use .
“Also, they should be encouraged to promote ethical journalism, as journalists are supposed to uphold accuracy objectivity and balanced reporting based on facts in their line of engagement.
“Forum emphasized the need for enhanced legal and financial protection for working journalists to shied them from intimidation ,and assist them in the discharge of the duties without fear or favour.
“Participants called for the strengthening of collaboration between the Civil Society and the media to enhance the quest for accountability by way of ensuring compliance with the provisions of the frameworks”, part of the communique reads .
“Similarly, the forum called for the training of Government and other public officials on how to be compliant with provisions of the relevant legislative frameworks, particularly granting access to information on public interest.
“In the same vein ,the workshop called on the citizenry to be more actively involved in monitoring Government activities at all levels ,so as to promote the culture of accountability and transparency in governance”.
Earlier participants had identified lack of access to information as one of the greatest factors militating against the abilities of the media to hold Government officials to account.
“Participants noted that the use of the legislative frameworks is limited by the deliberate denial of access to information by lawmakers and public servants .which they noted hinders accurate reportage and by extension ,public knowledge of the tools .
“Participants noted attempts to suppress Media freedom through control over media unions and subtle censorship,thereby restricting journalists’ abilities to report objectively.
“Some Media practitioners lack adequate awareness and understanding of such legislative frameworks as the FOIA ,PPA and Fiscal Responsibility Act .This cap limits their ability to put the frameworks into effective use.
“Forum decried the high level of secrecy in Government with officials unwilling to disclose information even when requested for in accordance with the provisions of the extant laws”, the communique further noted .
The workshop regretted the negative impacts of weak institutional support for working journalists, as the absence of legal and financial backing have tended to expose practitioners to undue pressure ,censorship,economic constraints and other professional hazards .
However, participants reaffirmed their commitments towards discharging the crucial roles of the media in promoting good governance.
They called for sustained engagement through advocacy and training so as to ensure that the application of the legislative frameworks in promoting transparency and accountability in Abia state becomes a norm.
The roundtable was convened by the Africa Centre for Human Advancement and Resource Support CHARS-Africa ,in conjunction with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption RoLAC .
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