By Fred Chukwuelobe
Before I delve deeper into the details of this question, let me briefly take a cursory read of the term, “fourth estate,” in the interest of those who may not know what it means.
According to Wikipedia, the term “fourth estate” refers to the press and news media and their influence on politics and society. It’s often seen as a watchdog of the government and a vital part of a functioning democracy, holding power accountable. The concept originated in Europe, contrasting the press with the traditional three estates of the realm: clergy, nobility, and commoners.
While in school and aspiring to become journalists, we held this term sacrosanct, and it signposted many of us who decided to study Mass Communications (or journalism as it is known in other schools). We watched as journalists grilled government officials, including very powerful leaders of the most powerful countries. We were in awe of them.
Investigations by journalists (the media) have been responsible for the resignations of many governments and leaders. However, recent events have made it imperative to ask that question, ‘is the media still the “fourth estate” of the realm?’
Let us take a perfunctory look at two instances.
Firstly, a former president of the US, Richard Nixon, was forced to resign from office in 1974 following the Watergate scandal which began in 1972. An attempt by his re-election team to plant listening devices to eavesdrop on the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel, Watergate complex, Washington DC, backfired. The Washington Post picked up leads from sources, and their investigations led to the inglorious resignation of Nixon.
Secondly, back home, Speaker Salisu Buhari was forced to resign after the media discovered that he falsified his age. We would recall the cover story of The News magazine, “The Face of a Liar,” which culminated in the speaker’s abrupt exit when he had just started making waves. His was a curious case because while many Nigerians are known to reduce their age to remain in office beyond the provided retirement age, Salisu Bihari increased his age to qualify for that office.
There are several other instances where the media is known to have held public officers to account, fulfilling their pivotal role as the fourth estate of the realm. It is for this role and journalists ability to perform it even at the risk of their lives that they are held in reverence and admired, if not feared.
But, with the decline in the quality of education and the stifling of institutions by corruption, inefficiency, and ineptitude, that function has been greatly eroded. Journalism has taken a hit. The media ‘cannot beat them and have, therefore, joined them.’ The society worships money and respects money bags who throw about their wealth in an obscene manner.
Again, because journalists are poorly remunerated in this clime, and it is easy to buy off media people and organisations, a situation that has further eroded the media’s ability to serve as a check on public officers and to hold them to account.
Now, the crux of my topic: FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike. You may ask why I am picking on the loquacious one too frequently. Simple – he has gone out of line with his actions, which aptly suits the topic under discussion.
As Governor, Rivers State, he was known to have commissioned more projects than the whole 36 states (and) FCT put together. The commissioning ceremonies were grandiose and were beamed live on select national television, costing the State billions of Naira. Frankly, there’s no problem with the lucky media organisations being selected to beam the ceremonies live. It is revenue for them and has largely contributed to their sustenance.
As FCT minister, Wike has been replicating his Rivers commissioning armada with pomp and circumstance. The ceremonies have continued to be beamed live, costing hundreds of millions. He attends public functions in a Rolls-Royce exotic vehicle and nobody is asking questions.
But what is my grouse with that if I feel the media is benefiting from the ceremonies?
I think the media has been largely compromised by the Minister and many other government officials that critical questions are left unasked. There is an unwritten desire for us to rush to ‘beat ourselves’ to win the right to cover the commissioning ceremonies and curry favours of political leaders, and forgetting to ask critical questions.
What are those questions:
1. How many roads/projects were awarded and completed for commissioning?
2. At what cost to taxpayers?
3. Were the projects advertised for open bidding?
4. Who bidded? Who won? Who lost?
5. What is the relevance of those projects to our overall needs as a country going through economic difficulties?
6. How much is spent on those commissioning ceremonies?
7. Couldn’t the money spent be appropriated for other needy areas?
After engaging in those effusive and grandiose ceremonies, the minister took his shenanigans to the House of God for “Thanksgiving Service,” which was equally beamed live by select television stations to a large audience, costing millions to taxpayers. Yes, you heard me right! He went to church to thank God for the successful commissioning of his projects, and the officiating priest yielded the revered podium to him to use and bash his opponents as only he can do best. If this isn’t a sacrilege, I wonder what else is.
In all these, what is the role of the press? Are we supposed to sit idly by and watch the spectacle as if we are being entertained?
Questions are not being asked. The media that is supposed to interrogate these shortcomings of the Minister ‘audibly mute.’ They and the church acquiesced to all that is wrong with Wike and our country. Tomorrow, we will begin to interrogate other administrations, either because they don’t favour us or they are being populated by people who are not of our tribe or political associates. How will we be demanding accountability if we close our eyes to the eyesore and obvious scandal that the ministers’ public outings and utterances have become?
I must say that the credibility of the media is at stake, and I ask, does society still see us as its watchdogs, as the fourth estate of the realm?
Don’t get me wrong. The media is not just as guilty. I think every profession has taken a hit, and the subsequent result is lowering of standards, of performance, and of the traditional assigned roles of these institutions as moderators of public officers’ performances.
I also give the media the benefit of the doubt because in instances where they have held government officials accountable, their efforts paled because the society hardly stands with journalists as they perform this function. Government officials have been emboldened by this that they don’t bother and they are not concerned about the public perception of their performances.
This is sad.
(c) Fred Chukwuelobe
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