Daniel UGWO

Economic deprivation in Nigeria remains a desperate issue, severely rooted in systemic governance failures. According to a 2022 report from the National Bureau of Statistics, in a multidimensional poverty estimates at senatorial district level survey, which sampled over 56,000 households across the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT - conducted between November 2021 and February 2022. It revealed that: “63% of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multidimensionally poor.

The National MPI is 0.257, indicating that poor people in Nigeria experience just over one-quarter of all possible deprivations. 65% of the poor (86 million people) live in the North, while 35% (nearly 47 million) live in the South. Poverty levels across States vary significantly, with the incidence of multidimensional poverty ranging from 27% in Ondo to a high of 91% in Sokoto.” These deprivations are not caused by lack of wealth in the country, it is caused mostly by general failure of governance consumed by corruption and maladministration.

While the media has the potential to catalyse change, it faces significant obstacles, including government suppression, bias within media and conflict of interest from media outlets owned by politicians. Creating ground-breaking content to address economic deprivation in the Country requires a multilayered approach from the media. Despite these challenges, leveraging on innovative key perspectives which is not limited to the following will enable media create ground-breaking content that can turn this situation around in the midst of danger.

1. Addressing Media Bias: Biases within media outlets weakens their effectiveness and credibility. To mitigate this, it is important to;

1. Promote ethical journalism and Capacity building: Training programs and workshops can instil values of impartiality and accuracy among journalists. Investigative skills, data analysis, and storytelling through mentorships can improve reporting and foster a braver media.
2.  Fact-checking initiatives: A misinformed person, is a confused person. Establishing dedicated teams to verify information can build trust and counter misinformation, even during live interviews.
3. Diversifying ownership: Encouraging independent ownership and community-based media can reduce political influence and ensure diverse perspectives.

 

1. Collective Journalism: Associating with other local and international groups, schools, and other media can strengthen reporting. This includes religious institutions. Faith leaders can amplify messages of social justice and accountability, leveraging their influence to reach a wider audience. Some media teams across several religious institutions, especially major ones are trained on unbiased reportage. Teaming up for investigations can combine resources and knowledge, while reducing risks for better coverage.

 

1. Alternative Platforms: Utilizing online platforms such as social media, blogs, podcasts can help overcome the limitations of traditional media. These platforms empower marginalized voices and drive community action, allowing for a broader range of narratives and perspectives to emerge.

 

1. Policy, Legal Advocacy and Alternative Voices: The media can push for policy changes to tackle economic issues using research-based recommendations while working with legal experts to protect journalists and oppose unjust laws. Sharing stories of courage and advocacy from citizens, activists, community and religious leaders can inspire empathy and drive policy change.

 

1. Transparency campaigns: Publicizing the ownership structures of media outlets enables audience to critically evaluate content and discern underlying motives behind publications. This transparency is essential for fostering trust between the media and the public.

 

1. Encourage Anonymous Reporting: Anonymous reporting allow sources to share sensitive information that might otherwise go unreported without fear of retribution or exposure. By offering anonymity, media can build trust with sources who might be hesitant to speak on the record. While this is importance, using encrypted messaging apps, secure email services, or anonymous submission platforms to protect sources' identities matter. While protecting sources' identities, accuracy of the information provided must be verified to ensure credibility.

While the options for media to creating ground-breaking contents in relation to this subject matter is inexhaustible, the power of music cannot be underrated. Nigerian musicians have a proven track record of using their platform to speak truth to power, as seen in songs like “Beasts of No Nation” – Fela Kuti banned (1989), "Jaga Jaga" by Eedris Abdulkareem, banned (2004), "This Is Nigeria" by Falz banned (2018) and several others. Media should work hand-in-hand with public analyst, civil society organizations and human right activists.

History has not forgotten the impact of the likes of the Catholic Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Femi Falana SAN, Rashidat Mohammed, Inibehe Effiong, Olisa Agbakoba, A.O Ayeni, Dele Farotimi, Omoyele Sowore, Nnamdi Kanu and host of others, in their quest to holding the government accountable.

Together, the media through collaborative effort can create a formidable alliance that not only highlights the challenges faced by communities but also inspires collective action towards a more equitable society. In doing so, they can help turn the wave against systemic issues of economic deprivation caused by deliberate actions of the government in Nigeria.