The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) has constituted a new Ombudsman mechanism with the announcement of a nine-man board of the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), known as the National Ombudsman.
The commission according to a statement by the President of the Newspapers Proprietors Association and NPO, Mallam Kabiru Yusuf is a major step by the industry to strengthen public confidence in the media through the prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches in media content.
The commission members, drawn from the media, bar, academia, and civil society are Mr. Emeka Izeze, former Managing Director, of Guardian Newspapers (Chairman), Mr. A. B Mahmoud, (SAN), former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, and a member of the Body of Benchers AND Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Academic) Paul University, Anambra State
Other members are Dr Hussain Abdu, a Development & Humanitarian Specialist and Country Director, Care International (Nigeria); Mr. Lanre Idowu, Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Ltd. and Founder, Diamond Awards For Media Excellence (DAME) and 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 Managing Partner/CEO, Eugenia Abu Media, and the Chair, House of Representatives Committee on Information are also on the board of the commission.
The commission according to the statement 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.
The NPO, comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), facilitated the constitution of the new commission with other strategic media players and the civil society, including the MacArthur Foundation
Prior to the announcement, 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.
