'NUJ must return to FOI Coalition fold'

By Kabir Alabi Garba 

The Guardian, Monday September 25, 2006

AT the conceptualization stage of the Freedom of the Information Bill (FOIB) in 1994, three groups were dominant players. The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Civil Liberty Organization (CLO), and the Media Rights Agenda (MRA). But as the time passed by, the NUJ and CLO allegedly abandoned the campaign.

In the last five years or so, the heat of spearheading Freedom of Information regime in Nigeria has been largely felt mainly by the MRA. In most advocacy programs to create awareness about the bill and expand its frontier, representatives of these two groups were always absent. Similar scenario played itself out last weekend at the Regional Workshop on Freedom of Information in Africa. But Gabriel Ayite Baglo, Director, Regional Africa Office, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in Senegal would not allow that error to pass without a comment.

As a union leader, he challenged openly why the NUJ was not represented at the workshop. "I accept to come to this workshop because I believe that access to information is fundamental to our work as journalists, and to democracy. In Africa today, there are countries where the right to speak is even a real problem. Cases in Gambia, Ethiopia, Eritrea are nothing to write home about.

"For those countries, what is important is to ensure that people can express their views and journalists can report the way they should. And to make sure that our colleagues in prisons are released. Since September 2001, we have 15 journalists in prison in Eritrea. In Gambia, media is under siege presently. In Zimbabwe, it is very difficult for our colleagues to work. We have serious problem with the freedom of the press in Africa. But beyond that, countries that are now enjoy some measure of freedom of the press should be encouraged to root for the law on access to information. Because, for you to report correctly and have credible output, Freedom of access to Information is the key. IFJ sees this as national call and more so when the law is not basically for journalists alone, the entire citizenry would benefit.

"But I am surprise that at this meeting, the NUJ is not present and I do not see how the FOI coalition, which is nationally spread can do the work on the access to information and NUJ is not here. I can't understand it. But I realize from the explanation that from the beginning, NUJ was part of the process. It was like it got to a point and the priority became different. But I think the NUJ should come back to the coalition. I would like to call on my colleagues, Ndagene Aku and others, the whole leadership of NUJ to reflect on this issue and return to the FOI coalition. This is essential in order to have one movement for press freedom and access to information in Nigeria."

The relationship between NUJ and IFJ, he said, "has not been smooth, the way we will like it to be. But now, IFJ is collaborating with the union on a number of programs. Nigeria is one of the three countries in Africa that are affected by HIV/AIDS in terms of population. Others are Zambia and South Africa. The idea is to embark on HIV enlightenment program with our colleagues in South Africa, Zambia, and in Nigeria to strengthen the capacity of journalists to be able to handle issues associated with HIV/AIDS professionally. Besides, IFJ is also concerned about the condition of service of journalists in Nigeria. A discussion is already going on with NUJ and hopefully, before the end of this year, October or November precisely, we will be having a conference on the status of the working condition of journalists in Nigeria. We want to see what the problems are and how we can address them."

Although, there has been in existence a platform for journalists in Africa, Baglo revealed that effort is being made to create an affiliate of IFJ in Africa.

"There was a meeting last week in Morocco on the need to create the African affiliate of IFJ and we are in the process of creating Federation of African Journalists. Two months from now, there is going to be another meeting in Nairobi, Kenya to decide on follow up to this process. But very soon, we will come up with a continental organization of journalists in Africa. The emerging body should able to take care of all issues concerning journalists at regional and continental levels. We will also engage the existing Union of African Journalists in a dialogue. The union at present, is more of Egyptian than being continental. Right, an Egyptian initiated it, it is a good idea but I do not remember any event of that organization that took place outside of Egypt. Everything - training, meeting, and other activities - are carried out in Egypt. It is good to have an idea but for us the challenge is to improve upon it. That is why discussion is on on the formation of Federation of African Journalists. Nonetheless, we will get in touch with our Egyptian colleagues and forge a partnership and synergy in order to make an impact on journalism profession in Africa."

Baglo noted that the NUJ has always been a member of the international body of journalists. "If IFJ should work with any organization in Nigeria, it should be NUJ. IFJ is a global platform for working journalists, protecting their professional and social rights. NUJ is supposed to be addressing those issues. Now, IFJ is ready to help NUJ to do more. Discussion is going on with the current leadership for a kind of refocusing on the professional issues and social right issues of journalists. Unless the NUJ targets these areas, there is no point having a union. I think, the leadership have good understanding of these issues and effort is being made to re-energize the union in this direction."

On the dual role the NUJ as a professional body and a trade union, he reasoned, "the day the NUJ will give up its trade union responsibility, then it will be a set back. I am calling on the NUJ leaders to make sure that journalists' rights and trade union aspect of the organization is maintained. Because, what do we do with professional organization? Talking of ethics? Is that all? If you can't address journalists' social rights - their condition of service, insurance, workplace policy, their salaries - there is no point having the organization. How do you force a journalist without salary to perform optimally? How do you want him not to take 'brown envelop' when he is not well paid. The argument is that social rights affect professional issues a lot. At IFJ, there is no way you want to address professional issues without addressing social rights. The NUJ needs to keep its responsibility as a trade union intact."

In Senegal, where the IFJ Africa Office is based, he insisted, "the association has become a full fledge trade union. It is one big trade union well respected. Government does nothing without involving that union. The trend is to move from a professional union to a trade union. I have never seen the reverse. In Senegal, there is strong trade union standing on its own. No media law that the government does without consulting them. It is not possible. Our hope is that NUJ will toe the same line. That is why they should come back to the coalition. There are aspects of the advocacy that are media-related."

On his impression about the workshop, he noted, "I am really impressed about the process of getting the FOI Act enacted. I was made to understand that the advocacy started since 1994 and since then, people have kept the momentum. Usually, people abandon the struggle. But our colleagues here in Nigeria have been working on this for 12 years. There is something to learn from that doggedness. That kind of experience should be shared with our other colleagues in Africa. The message here is that you never give up until you get want you set out to achieve."