The International Republican Institute (IRI) has promised tocollaborate with the Arewa Oline Publishers Association (AOPA) to ensure that
promises made by public officials are followed up with a view to seeing themaccomplished in Bauchi state.The Bauchi state coordinator of the institute, Amina GarbaAliyu stated this on Friday when she received in audience members of theassociation 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 usingmedia platforms that are publishing online to have our activities aired.’’
‘’IRI regards print media that are online more thanbroadcast media such as the Television and the Radio because we do get the linkof the stories from them and send to United States (US). So whenever we arecarrying out our activities, we used online media. So in that regards, I willsurely collaborate with you,’’ she added.
The IRI coordinator who described the idea brought by ArewaOnline Publishers Association as a good initiative noted that the institute inBauchi state will henceforth collaborate with them whenever they are having anyimportant activity.
Aliyu who said she has been working recently withWikkiTimes, pointed out that IRI under her supervision in Bauchi will involvethe rest of the online media platforms in following-up promises made by publicoffice holders to ensure that they accomplish them.
According to her, “we used to conduct activity where apublic office holder will promise something to his people, some use to fulfillsuch promises while others don’t, so I will be happy if I work with you and youfollow up to those promises to ensure that they are fulfilled,” Aliyusaid.
She averred that, “by following up, the promises arelikely to get fulfilled, and by the time they are accomplished and get reportedby the media, it will motivate the other members to do same, and those who havedone, 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 ata time when they are trying to tract some of their programs results across thestate.
“IRI is basically working with political parties andthe electoral officials to make them accountable, and that is why the title ofthe project is ‘Responsive Political Party Programs, meaning we want them to bemore responsive in meeting the needs of the citizens,” Dass said.
He noted that IRI have been engaging the politicians indifferent fora through so many programs and activities in trying to make themresponsive in meeting the needs of the people of their constituencies.
“That is why through the IRI we were able to engagedabout 13 of them (the politicians ), including the speaker and his deputy toconduct a constituency town hall meetings with their electorates through whichthe people will bring out their various needs,” the senior projectassociate disclosed.
Dass who noted by doing so, some of the issues have beenaddressed while others are on the pipeline added that there is the need forsuch to be published in order to motivate others to also perform to the benefitof humanity and the people they represent.
Ealier speaking, the Zonal Coordinator of the Arewa OnlinePublishers Association (AOPA) Mr. Mohammed Haruna Salisu said they were in theIRI office in Bauchi state on a courtesy visit.
Salisu who is also the Publisher of an Online newspaper inBauchi told the IRI Coordinator that Arewa Online Publishers’ Association,(AOPA), is a collection of seasoned practicing Journalists who operate OnlineMedia across the 19 Northern States of Nigeria including FCT, Abuja.
He said that the association is in to promotion of nationalunity, peace, progress and development, fight against fake news and advocacyjournalism.
“Arewa Online Publishers’ Association, beyond theconventional journalism and reportage, is also embarking on serious advocacyjournalism that will hold the powerful to account,” Salisu explained.
“We are a group of seasoned practitioners that don’tjust write or report stories and look away; we follow and ensure that ourstories make impact,” he added.
He said the popular believe that journalists should remainneutral and just report stories and go to bed has significantly contributed tothe slow pace of accountability among individuals and institutions that definepeople’s fate.
Mr. Salisu said journalism is known for speaking the truthto power, holding leaders to account and ultimately serving as a bridge betweenthe government and the governed.
He noted that, “in north east Nigeria, the mosttroubled and backward region in all indices of development, this isn’t thecase. The myriad of ignorance, poverty of ideas, lack of desire and thecompetence to do serious journalistic work define the norm.”
The publisher who said Arewa Online Publishers Associationintends to correct those anomalies appealed to other professionals in the fieldof Journalism who believes that advocacy journalism is a veritable platformthat could help a society achieve that to join in the cause.
