Media Needs Adequate Funding-Adeolu Akande Laments

 Adeolu Akande, Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has canvassed for adequate funding for the media sector

News Rain Nigeria reports that the Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Professor Adeolu Akande, has on Tuesday 1st December 2020 called for adequate funding of the media sector.

Prof. Akande while delivering a lecture at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Oyo State Council Headquarters, Iyaganku GRA Ibadan charged the  Federal Government to intensify its financial support for the media sector, noted that the media is in a serious financial mess.

Media Needs Adequate Funding-Adeolu Akande Laments

Prof. Akande, in his analysis on the titled of the lecture of the weeklong event that is commemorating the Oyo State Council Press week 2020 said the media is currently going through a trying period, warned that the media should not be allowed to go into paralysis because of its critical role in promoting good governance and national development.

Professor Adeolu Akande talking on the topic of the lecture which centered on “Revisiting the role of journalism in Good Governance in Nigeria”, said that just like the collapse of banking and aviation sectors would affect the economy adversely of the country, the collapse of the media industry will equally have a devastating effect on our society.

Akande however charged the media to always promotes good governance by playing the role of watchdog, civic forum, and agenda-setting for the government.

He said that the media is important in the quest for good governance because many elements of good governance like transparency, accountability, greater participation in government, access to information, rule of law, and human rights, cannot be achieved without the media.

“The effect of the parlous economy may not manifest quickly in the media sector as it does in banking and aviation, but the truth is that the effect would be devastating on the society”, Akande stated.

Akande said the advent of social media has changed the fortune of journalism in Nigeria and worldwide.

He said social media produces news in real-time and offer other services the media offers in a way that challenges the continued existence of the mainstream media even while its excesses has raised concerns in many quarters.

“When the government performs well, social media is abuzz with praises for the government. When government fails, social media is abuzz with condemnation. The best way to silence social media is to strive and do well.”

Prof. Akande further said that the public takes whatever news that comes from the media as gospel truth. When it turns out that such news is not true or not objective and altruistically produced, this erodes the confidence of the public in the media and weakens its capacity to promote good governance.