Text of a paper presented by the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Fund Raising Dinner on Thursday, June 30, 2011

To you journalists, you have gathered here today in this fund raising dinner to build a befitting secretariat for yourselves, to us, democrats and all true believers in democracy, we have come to pay a debt of appreciation to you. We will never forget the courageous fight of the press for democracy to flourish in our country. With your blood many of you watered the tree of our liberty and forced the dawn of democracy. At strategic times some newspapers and radio stations went underground and I can say without mincing words that your performance at that time was the finest moment not only for journalism but for our country. And so we come today to say thank you and to appreciate you for shining the light in the darkness and leading us to this dawn of freedom.

I commend the present leadership of the Nigeria union of Journalists for embarking on this lofty project of building this National Secretariat and International Journalism Training Institute. And I feel deeply honoured by them to have been asked to speak on a topic as sensitive as the Media, Democracy and the Rule of Law. I am conscious of the fact that what we will say here and what we will do here will be nothing compared to what crusading journalism did for us in fighting and securing our independence and in warring and securing democracy for us.

Introduction:

There is a quotation attributed to the third President of America, Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826), which has been in robust usage in the press. The said quotation claims that Jefferson, who wrote the American Declaration of Independence, said “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

However, this quotation is usually taken out of its proper context and, therefore, fails to capture what was in Jefferson’s mind when he made the statement. What Jefferson actually said was “The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them.”

What he meant was that the opinions of the people should be the basis of the government, and such opinions should fundamentally shape public policy decisions, and the right (of the people to so express themselves) should be kept as a democratic priority. Also note that in stating that he would prefer newspapers without a government, he added the caveat that in such a scenario “every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them.”

Jefferson was influenced by the trend of events which led to the American Revolution and the dominant role played by newspapers in hardening the American resolve not to reconcile with Britain, its then colonial master. The British Government had introduced the Stamp Act of 1765 (otherwise known as the Duties in American Colonies Act 1765). The Act required that printed materials in all British colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London and carrying an embossed revenue stamp. If the British Government listened to the opinion of the people as expressed in the press and knew the resolve of the people, it would not have gone to war against the 13 colonies which made up America in order to enforce this Act. The colonies won the war, thanks to the crusading journalism of the then American papers, and the United States of America was formed.

We could draw a parallel here in the performance of the Nigerian press. The Press led the charge for Nigeria’s independence in a patriotic display of crusading journalism. The likes of Herbert Macaulay, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and others were journalists and publishers who were relentless in the pursuit of our national independence and sovereignty. The democracy we now enjoy was also midwifed by the press and it behoves the press to protect it through responsible and developmental practice.

I believe that this introduction has shown the nexus between the press and democracy as twin concepts which are mutually supportive and there can be no democracy without a vibrant press. Democracy is a system dedicated to openness and accountability and the press has the duty of serving as the watchdog of the system and holding the government to constitutionally-stipulated standards of accountability.

Responsibilities of the Media in a Democracy:

The Media is a means of public communication and dissemination of information to heterogeneous audiences widely dispersed in time and space. In this wise it encompasses the newspapers, magazines, radio, books, satellite and terrestrial television and radio and lately the internet. The main functions of the media are to educate, inform and entertain and it is a powerful tool for social mobilization, integration and development. The Media wields tremendous power and that is why the media in the Third World was advised by a commission set up by the United Nations to focus on developmental journalism as a tool in deepening democracy.

However, power, whether political or journalistic, corrupts. The power of the media can be used positively or it can be used negatively. When used positively, the media contributes to the political values of openness and democratic accountability which lead to political transparency. When used negatively, politicians and political operatives, use the media as instruments of blackmail and propaganda to trumpet clannish and selfish interests and distort the truth.

According to J. M. Balkin of Yale University, a key responsibility of the media is to facilitate political transparency. He maintains that there are three kinds of political transparency and these are: informational transparency, participatory transparency and accountability. Informational transparency is the provision of knowledge about the government and its officials and decisions and interpretations and analyses of such policies and actions. Participatory transparency is to foster the ability to participate in political decisions by the masses either through their representatives or directly. Accountability is the process of holding government officials accountable (either through the legal system or public opinion) for their actions.

Of course in facilitating political transparency, the press is performing its role as a watchdog. Democracy requires the active involvement of citizens and the press should keep the citizens involved in the art of governance by informing, educating and mobilizing them towards patriotic and democratic ideals. The Press should set the agenda for public discourse and act as a catalyst for development.

It is a generally accepted fact that democracy is impossible without a free press. The enlightenment theorists in the age of enlightenment in England in the 17th century argued that publicity and openness provided the best protection against tyranny. French political philosopher, Montesquieu, maintained that publicity was the cure for the abuse of power. As a true democrat, one wholeheartedly subscribes to these time-tested positions and hails without reservation the role of the press as a watchdog and the usage of its power to further the cause of democracy.

However, one must express some worry when persons who are not journalists set up newspapers and magazines to serve their interests. All over the country, where two or three are gathered a newspaper will be born and manned by poorly trained or perhaps untrained journalists. And I want to use this opportunity to urge the national leadership of the NUJ not to allow these quacks to soil the hallowed name of the profession in our country.

Democracy:

One of the most popular definitions of democracy is that attributed to Abraham Lincoln, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Another definition of interest to us and with identical logic is that it is “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.” The underlying logic in all these is that democracy is a system of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and this power is exercised directly by them through elected agents and representatives in a free electoral system.

In order for a democracy to be worth the name, it must have the key elements of a guarantee of human rights to all citizens; separation of powers between the three arms of government; the rule of law; freedom of opinion and the press; freedom of worship; general and equal right to vote in free and fair elections; and good governance.

Rule of Law:

The rule of law can be defined as a legal maxim which holds that no one is above the law, no one should be punished except he breaks the law and all convictions should follow a pattern set forth by the law itself. It is a concept first espoused by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, when he said that “It is more proper that law should govern than any one of the citizens: upon the same principle, if it is advantageous to place the supreme power in some particular persons, they should be appointed to be only guardians, and the servants of the laws.” In the same vein, Plato, another renowned Greek philosopher warned, “Where the law is subject to some other authority and has none of its own, the collapse of the state, in my view, is not far off; but if law is the master of the government and the government is its slave, then the situation is full of promise and men enjoy all the blessings that the gods shower on a state.”

We have witnessed various instances of the application of the rule of law in our times. In the United States, President Reagan, while in office, testified in the Iran-Contra Affairs upon being summoned. President Bill Clinton also was subpoenaed in the Monica-gate scandal and he testified as a serving president. In Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as a serving president was summoned and he appeared before the Justice Oputa Commission of Inquiry. And in South Africa President Nelson Mandela as president appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. There are many more instances but the point one believes has been made here is that no one is above the law. This is the rule of law.

Case Study:

Perhaps we should use our experience in Akwa Ibom to try to illustrate the finer details of what happens when these three apply. We have enjoyed the cooperation of the mainstream, objective and uncompromised press and for this we thank you.

At the inception of our administration we acknowledged that the greatest challenges facing us were ignorance and poverty - not tribalism. Demagogues exploit the poverty and ignorance of our people by playing ethnic and tribal cards for their selfish advantages. So we were determined to counter this trend by empowering our people, providing them with education, establishing a solid infrastructural base for our state, and turning our state into a destination in our country and the Gulf of Guinea. And today there is a larger awareness of unity and brotherhood which transcends tribe, religion and geography – thanks to the press.

The basic example of our commitment to democracy is the structure of our administration. No ethnic group can claim dominance in the composition of our administration; neither has anybody ever been appointed or sacked solely on the grounds of ethnicity. This government has a true Akwa Ibom character.

In terms of infrastructural development, we sought to put our state on the same developmental plane as the first generation states in our country. We know that he who starts a race late would have to run faster in order to catch up and this we did. Our capital city is now a preferred conference destination in Nigeria.

The transformation of our state in terms of road construction has been one of our most hailed accomplishments. So far we have tarred 205 roads covering over 700 km throughout the state and built several bridges and constructed three concentric flyovers in the state.

We see healthcare not only as a goal of development, but as the right of individuals and the means to achieve the related goals of higher labour productivity. Our health investment in Akwa Ibom State is focused on ten major policy areas. These are:

1. Health infrastructural development
2. Health manpower development and training
3. Provision of drugs and equipment
4. HIV/AIDS prevention and control
5. Roll Back Malaria
6. Aggressive Immunization Campaigns for Infants and Mothers.
7. Integrated Maternal, New Born and Child Health
8. Free medical treatment for pregnant women, children five years and under and the elderly
9. Improved Staff Welfare Scheme
10. Effective Service delivery.

In terms of healthcare infrastructural development we inherited health structures which were in a general state of decay, prompting many of our citizens to shun hospitals. Not only did we improve our healthcare structures, we built five new cottage hospitals in the state. In addition we are also building another tertiary health institution called the “20th Anniversary Specialist Hospital.”

In a bid to fight mortality among infants and mothers, we established the free medical treatment for these groups. Aided by this, we have been able to reduce the infant mortality rate and the maternal mortality rate by 75 percent and well below the national average. We also have free medical treatment for our senior citizens.

In the area of education, we have taken some critical actions to ensure that we catch up with the leading states in Nigeria. It is in this wise, that we are implementing the policy of free and compulsory education from primary to secondary school. On the occasion of the first anniversary of this policy, I told our people that we were not celebrating the victory of politics or the triumph of administrative policy, but we were celebrating the success of common sense and a monumental shift from being perceived nationally as a people fit for house boys and house girls.

Our investment in education encompasses a massive rehabilitation of all primary and secondary schools in our state. We have so far spent over forty billion Naira on revamping the educational sector. We have built over 500 new classroom blocks and renovated over 1,300 classroom blocks. Our primary schools are beginning to look like secondary schools and our secondary schools are beginning to look like tertiary institutions. But this money represents both a source of joy and a basis for apprehension. Joy that so many people are in school, and apprehension because if the proper educational and examination values and ethics are not attained in these schools, then we are undertaking an investment which would not yield the desired social dividends.

Other projects we have undertaken include the Tropicana Entertainment Complex, a one-stop hospitality spot with ultra modern facilities, the completion of Ibom International Airport and the Ibom Power Plant (projects initiated by the past administration), the Ibom Gas plant, the Uyo Drainage System with pipe-jacking technology and a lot more. Let me conclude this by inviting you to come, as the NUJ leadership did, to our state and see things for yourself.

Conclusion:

Gentlemen of the press, you know we can not conclude this discussion without a reference to the Freedom of Information Act. On Monday, May 30, 2011, a day after his inauguration, President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Freedom of Information bill into law. This represents a major breakthrough for the growth of the media and democracy in Nigeria. With this law, you are guaranteed access to information that was hitherto shrouded in secrecy. This feat could not have been achieved without democracy.

I extend my heartiest felicitations to the NUJ and all Nigerians on the passage of the Freedom of Information Act. But it must be stated that to whom much is given much is expected. And even as this has given journalists the opportunity to enforce transparency in governance, the NUJ should ensure that this right is not abused but used to strengthen democracy and the rule of law.

Let me state that today’s journalism is tomorrow’s history and we should all strive to be on the right side of journalism today so that we will be on the right side of history tomorrow. This advice is for journalists and politicians alike. Let us build a nation which we envisaged when we fought for democracy and let us do all we can to protect what we fought for.

I completely identify with this project and urge all of us to pay our debt of gratitude to the NUJ by donating generously to this noble cause.

Thank you and God bless