Why the media must join the change! By Lolade Sowoolu

By Lolade Sowoolu

The Nigerian people have spoken perhaps loudest than ever before. And the change they asked has begun.

Before now, the governing options we had were – Military or Civilian. We knew not to clamour for too much or disagree so publicly or else there would be a military intervention (coup). But after sixteen years of uninterrupted democracy, we are able to elect an opposition party.

Just as Nigerians haven’t lived in a time like this before, the Nigerian media equally hasn’t existed in a climate like this. Before now, the media has struggled to balance reportage of a government’s failings with the good it manages to do. Where the latter is difficult to find, we simply shift focus to citizens doing well for themselves or to others in spite of the difficult environment. But now that we have a truly new government in power, what should be the media’s role?

Do we take off lashing at the new government should they not hit the ground running in the face of our myriad of problems? Or should we sue for peace and especially patience among the populace seeing that magical expectations are ceiling high and the incoming government had promised heaven and earth during election campaigns?

Is it time to be critical of the infant government or be generous with admonitions considering that the incoming government is more or less a rookie in the face of the Nigeria that PDP built.

The primary role of the media stays the same through generations and geographical locations. But we have learnt that different adaptations are possible and such models are usually dictated by the political climate and developmental stage of a people. If we are to progress in giant strides as a country, not only does the government need be right but the media needs to be in sync, one with another.

To decide what this direction would be, all key media – traditional and new, and especially their proprietors would need to set the agenda. A stakeholders meet like the NEC Live where everything entertainment is sold may be a good template to follow.

And as the Nigeria Entertainment Today paper clocks five (5) today, I hope this is a good enough ‘thank you’ to celebrate its role in advancing entertainment reporting in Nigeria’s media. The task of nation building is about to begin for the media. Will we together build?