The International Republican Institute (IRI) has promised to collaborate with the Arewa Oline Publishers Association (AOPA) to ensure that promises made by public officials are followed up with a view to seeing them accomplished in Bauchi state.
The Bauchi state coordinator of the institute, Amina Garba Aliyu stated this on Friday when she received in audience members of the association on a courtesy visit in her office.
The coordinator who expressed delight on the visit said, ‘’IRI has been working in Bauchi since two years ago, and we have been using media platforms that are publishing online to have our activities aired.’’
‘’IRI regards print media that are online more than broadcast media such as the Television and the Radio because we do get the link of the stories from them and send to United States (US). So whenever we are carrying out our activities, we used online media. So in that regards, I will surely collaborate with you,’’ she added.
The IRI coordinator who described the idea brought by Arewa Online Publishers Association as a good initiative noted that the institute in Bauchi state will henceforth collaborate with them whenever they are having any important activity.
Aliyu who said she has been working recently with WikkiTimes, pointed out that IRI under her supervision in Bauchi will involve the rest of the online media platforms in following-up promises made by public office holders to ensure that they accomplish them.
According to her, “we used to conduct activity where a public office holder will promise something to his people, some use to fulfill such promises while others don’t, so I will be happy if I work with you and you follow up to those promises to ensure that they are fulfilled,” Aliyu said.
She averred that, “by following up, the promises are likely to get fulfilled, and by the time they are accomplished and get reported by the media, it will motivate the other members to do same, and those who have done, to do even more for their people.”
On his part, Senior Project Associate of the institute, Baiko Suleiman Dass while describing the AOPA’s visit as timely, said it was at a time when they are trying to tract some of their programs results across the state.
“IRI is basically working with political parties and the electoral officials to make them accountable, and that is why the title of the project is ‘Responsive Political Party Programs, meaning we want them to be more responsive in meeting the needs of the citizens,” Dass said.
He noted that IRI have been engaging the politicians in different fora through so many programs and activities in trying to make them responsive in meeting the needs of the people of their constituencies.
“That is why through the IRI we were able to engaged about 13 of them (the politicians ), including the speaker and his deputy to conduct a constituency town hall meetings with their electorates through which the people will bring out their various needs,” the senior project associate disclosed.
Dass who noted by doing so, some of the issues have been addressed while others are on the pipeline added that there is the need for such to be published in order to motivate others to also perform to the benefit of humanity and the people they represent.
Ealier speaking, the Zonal Coordinator of the Arewa Online Publishers Association (AOPA) Mr. Mohammed Haruna Salisu said they were in the IRI office in Bauchi state on a courtesy visit.
Salisu who is also the Publisher of an Online newspaper in Bauchi told the IRI Coordinator that Arewa Online Publishers’ Association, (AOPA), is a collection of seasoned practicing Journalists who operate Online Media across the 19 Northern States of Nigeria including FCT, Abuja.
He said that the association is in to promotion of national unity, peace, progress and development, fight against fake news and advocacy journalism.
“Arewa Online Publishers’ Association, beyond the conventional journalism and reportage, is also embarking on serious advocacy journalism that will hold the powerful to account,” Salisu explained.
“We are a group of seasoned practitioners that don’t just write or report stories and look away; we follow and ensure that our stories make impact,” he added.
He said the popular believe that journalists should remain neutral and just report stories and go to bed has significantly contributed to the slow pace of accountability among individuals and institutions that define people’s fate.
Mr. Salisu said journalism is known for speaking the truth to power, holding leaders to account and ultimately serving as a bridge between the government and the governed.
He noted that, “in north east Nigeria, the most troubled and backward region in all indices of development, this isn’t the case. The myriad of ignorance, poverty of ideas, lack of desire and the competence to do serious journalistic work define the norm.”
The publisher who said Arewa Online Publishers Association intends to correct those anomalies appealed to other professionals in the field of Journalism who believes that advocacy journalism is a veritable platform that could help a society achieve that to join in the cause.
