Experts from Civil Society Organisations and Media have called for increased partnership and collaboration between CSOs and the Media towards promoting the common interest of the citizens.
The experts made the call during a roundtable dialogue organised by the European Union Agent for Citizen-Driven Transformation (EU-ACT) to strengthen the relationship between media and CS to empower, to influence the government on its responsibilities
Speaking during the dialogue, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC) buttressed the need for partnership between CSOs and Media, which according to him will enhance citizens’ participation in the governance process.
Arogundade stated some elements of good governance promoted by the media and CSOs, adding that the public might not know what governance entails.
He noted that the “Element of good governance is the rule of law. One of the indicators of good governance is equality before the law, transparency, responsiveness, consensus, effectiveness and efficiency.”
Olasunbo Modupe from LTV spoke extensively about the need for CSOs to incorporate media into their programmes at the planning stages, adding that “CSOs should not underestimate the power of the media, specifically social media for visibility to their work.”
Mrs. Bose Ironsi, the Executive Director Women Rights and Health Project also tasked CSO colleagues to be open to media and be deliberate with the media approach and strategies.
Earlier in his opening remark, Adesola Afariogun, the EU-ACT focal person in Lagos, explained that the organization is currently supporting CSOs in 10 states across the country, specifically around capacity development and Sustainable Development Goals.
Afariogun noted that the CSO-Media roundtable is organized to create synergy between CS and the media for sustainable development.
Participants at the roundtable which included CSOs and Media Professionals identified the common grounds between the media and CSO which are to inform, educate, agenda setting, and watchdog amongst others. They also concluded that the media and CSO can collaborate in visibility, appropriate budgeting, providing and sharing of content and credible data.