By Joy Odor Abuja
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, Comrade Grace Ike, has issued a rallying call for the media to step up its watchdog role in monitoring Nigeria’s rising public debt, warning that without stronger press involvement, parliamentary oversight will remain weak and ineffective.
Speaking at the 11th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the West Africa Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAAPAC), hosted by the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee in Abuja, Ike stressed that journalists are indispensable to accountability and must work closely with parliament and civil society to expose corruption and misuse of public funds.
“The media acts as an intermediary between parliament, government institutions, and the public. Public awareness is necessary, and how can we achieve this if not through information sharing and capacity building?” she declared.
Ike pressed for intensive training of parliamentary correspondents to equip them with technical knowledge of audit reports, debt management, and legislative oversight, warning that superficial reporting would only embolden financial mismanagement.
She called for regular workshops, joint briefings with Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), and stronger collaboration with civil society groups to sharpen journalists’ capacity.
She further urged access to audit data to be simplified and made publicly available to improve transparency.
The NUJ chairperson also highlighted the critical need for investigative journalism in debt oversight.
“Investigative journalism is not easy. It requires funding, time and skills. We need to train journalists who can confidently carry out undercover reporting on public accounts and debt management,” she said, warning against the spread of misinformation in the age of fake news.
Ike challenged the Public Accounts Committee to organize a comprehensive training session for journalists before the end of the 10th Assembly, insisting that a more technically skilled press corps would raise the quality of parliamentary scrutiny.
Beyond reporting, she argued that journalists and CSOs must embark on citizen sensitization campaigns to demystify public debt and remind Nigerians of their right to demand accountability.
“Most people do not even know they have the right to demand accountability. It is the duty of the media to remind citizens of this right and to hold those in power to their promises,” she emphasized.
She concluded that genuine debt oversight can only be achieved through collective responsibility, adding: “One thing is to write reports and pass resolutions. Another is implementation. As gatekeepers of information, the media stands ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure citizens are empowered, public resources are protected, and sustainable development is achieved.”
Ike expressed optimism that sustained synergy between the media and the Public Accounts Committee would not only deepen transparency but also keep Nigerians fully informed about the true state of the nation’s public debt.
