National Ombudsman inaugurates National Complaints Commission

By Chioma Obinagwam

In the bid to strengthen public confidence in the media as a credible barometer of public opinion, the Nigerian media will on Monday, inaugurate the nine-member board of the National  Media Complaints Commission  (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman.

Confiance News gathered from a statement signed by the President of Nigeria Press Organisation (NPO), Kabiru Yusuf on Saturday.

The statement disclosed that members of the commission  who are drawn from the media, the bar, the academia, and civil society  are Mr. Emeka Izeze , FNGE, former Managing Director, Guardian Newspapers (Chairman),  Mr. A. B Mahmoud, SAN, OON, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Academics) Paul University, Awka, Anambra State; Dr. Hussain Abdu, a Development Specialist and  Country Director, Care International (Nigeria); Mr. Lanre Idowu, FNGE, Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Ltd. and Founder, Diamond  Awards For Media Excellence (DAME); Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mrs. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, FNGE, a Journalist, Lawyer and Arbitrator ; Mrs. Eugenia Abu, Broadcaster, Author, and Columnist, and the Chair, House of Representatives Committee on Information.

The inauguration is a major step by the industry  to strengthen public confidence in the media through prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches in media content.

The process is being driven by the Nigeria Press Organisation (NPO,) comprising  the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), along  with other strategic media players and the civil society, in particular the MacArthur Foundation.

The commission 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.

Prior to the February 22, 2023 announcement of the composition of the commission, 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.