Discussion
Details
The discussion was led by the country representative of KAS in Nigeria, Mrs. Hildegard Behrendt-Kigozi, who gave background information on voters’ behavior and preference as seen in a recent survey. The survey concluded that many Nigerians would rather voter for the politician that gives them money. How could this trend be changed by the media and the CSOs?
The participants contributed, and Mr. Mike Utsaha, Director of Kukah Foundation, Abuja, observed that the relationship between the media and CSOs is such that both need each other to survive. And as a matter of fact, both are the last hope of the common man in Nigeria. He cited the examples of media uproar and CSOs activities that made the government of the day to reverse some policies. For instance, in early 2012, the media and CSOs were able to convince the government to reduce the fuel price which had just been increased.
Other participants want a real quantitative survey to be conducted to measure how the activities of the media and CSOs have influenced the decision makers in Nigeria. Others want the media practitioners and CSOs to be trained on how to effectively influence the politicians through their activities.
When the media and CSOs conduct their businesses in a very good way, they can be setting agenda for the government of the day in Nigeria, and this will reflect more the aspirations of the citizens.
The politician, the media practitioner and the CSOs are all partners in progress who rely on each other to function, even when their partnership cannot be quantified.
