Chairman, Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), Mr. Babatunde Osibodu has rated media as instrumental in any electoral process, as well as a strong pillar in the enthronement of good governance.
Osibodu also affirmed the media as an essential and indispensable tool in the attainment of free, fair and credible election across all levels, as such, the OGSIEC will utilise it to propagate, educate and re-orientate the people on the forth coming local government election in the state.
The chairman made the submission during the media oversight visit of the State Media Analysis Team (SMAT) to the Commission in Abeokuta, state capital on Thursday.
He emphasised: “It is gratifying to note that the visit of your team has given credence to the indispensable role of the media in the electoral process in this country and Ogun State in particular.
“It is not for nothing that the media is referred to as the Fourth Estate Realm. Once you take the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, the next most important pillar in governance is the media. We recognise the importance of your team,”
Furthermore, he remarked that one of the key components of a credible election was the sensitisation of the electorates to perform their civic responsibilities of electing candidates of their choice.
He hereby called on the SMAT to collaborate with the commission on regular dissemination of information.
Speaking earlier, Hon. Remmy Hazzan, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Public Communication, who is also the SMAT Chairman noted that the visit was a media oversight function that could not have come at a better time than when the state is preparing for the local council elections.
Hazzan hinted: “Media oversight generally is targeted at looking at how agency fared in the media, the print, the electronic and even the cyberspace, and at the end of the exercise, we will be able to come up with specific reports as it touches all agencies. You can pattern your media handling along the line of professional advice.”
Corroborating, a member of the team and Consultant to the Governor on Media, Ifekayode Akinbode said the visit was aimed at ascertaining the level of media engagement of the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government, with the view to making them function optimally.
The team commended the Information Department of the commission, charging it to intensify efforts on the social media handles usage to generate more followers.
