COURSE TITLE: THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIETY IN GATHERING INFORMATION FOR JOURNALISM
COURSE CODE: JRN 825
SUBMITTED
TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM,
FACULTY OF ARTS
ISCG UNIVERSITY SEME PODJI, BENIN REPUBLIC
IN
AFFILIATION WITH IDEAL POLYTECHNIC OKENE,
KOGI STATE, NIGERIA
LECTURER IN-CHARGE:
PROFESSOR ADEKUNLE BUSARI
UPLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION IFIRA/IPESI AKOKO,
ONDO STATE
20TH JUNE, 2022.
THE MEASURES TO SAFEGUARD LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION IN NIGERIA
1.0: ABSTRACT:
The creation of Local Government is an offshoot of the principle of decentralization with devolution of powers to the councils that can attend to local peculiarities. This is manifestation of the fact that in a Federal System of Government, the central government lacks capacity to control the component units effectively.
Since the creation of first local government council, Ikot-Ekpene in Nigeria in 1951, the system has undergone changes, transformations and reforms of 1976 and 2007.
The 774 local government councils in Nigeria exist without requisite information system regarding the councils and their activities. A visit to the local government secretariats will confirm the dearth of information or data as most request for information are not forthcoming or available. This is due to non-availability of proper local government information system management and hence this term paper, the measures to safeguard local government information in Nigeria.
Inspite emerging trend in digital globalization in government business and as local government system, most councils secretariats are empty edifies without traceable record and where available very scanty to meet the needs of the prospective users. This paper therefore, examines various forms of government information and their safeguard as well as suggestions for sustainable local government information for the progress and development of local councils in Nigeria.
1.1: INTRODUCTION
The United Nations Division of Public Administration quoted in Adamole Kun (1988) defines local government as; a political division of a nation or (in Federal system), state which is constituted by law and has substantial control of local affairs) including the powers to impose taxes or to exact labour for prescribed purposes. The governing body of such an entity is elected or otherwise locally selected.
The definition of local government as contained in the 1976 guidelines to local government reforms in Nigeria is more comprehensive and appears more relevant.
In the said guidelines, local government is defined as:
Government at (the) local level exercised through representative councils established by law to exercise specific powers within defined areas. These powers should give the councils substantial control over local affairs as well as the staff and institutional and financial powers to initiate and direct the provision of services and to determine and implement projects so as to complement the activities of the state and federal government in their areas and to ensure thorough active participation of the people and their traditional institutions that local initiatives and response to local needs are maximized.
Thus, from definitions already stated, there is some form of consensus on the definition and functions of local government and enjoys some measures of freedom and autonomy from both federal and state governments.
Local Government is one of the three tiers of government in Nigeria. It is Government that is closest to the people at the grassroot. The other levels of government, Federal and State are far from the people at the rural areas of which the local government areas were created to serve. It is a measure to bring government policies and programmes and governance to the doorstep of the rural dwellers as in India and Nigeria where there is devolution of powers and functions to the communities.
With this, local government is a legal entity or geographical framework with diverse internal and external publics. In his book, Guide to Public Relations Practice in Nigeria, Kanu Offonry identified the following publics for local government councils:
The Federal and State Governments
The Ministry for Local Government
Autonomous communities
Traditional Rulers
Government departments and parastatals
Schools and colleges
Contractors and suppliers
Commercial and individual establishment in the area
Clubs, societies and associations
Employees
Voluntary organizations
Mass media
Financial institutions
From the above, one can vividly select the internal publics of local councils to include staff, members of legislative and executive arms, Unions (Members of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Traditional Council Members, Ward Heads (all employees of the councils).
These council publics both internal and external serve as sources of information to the council. In his thesis, ‘The Role of Information Officers in Sustaining democracy, A case study of Adavi Local Government Council, Kogi State, Obeito S. Hassan identified the rationale for information office in government is built upon two basic facts, ‘First, the public has a right to know, hence government officials have a responsibility to report to the citizens. Second, there is need for officials to receive inputs or feedback from the public on new issues and social forces to secure citizen’s participation, and support. The information of feedback from citizens will put the local councils on their toes on their statutory duties to the people and areas.
Despite the above publics, local government councils in Nigeria remain legal entity with varied functions without freedom of autonomy to exercise their powers according to their regional or local needs. This is against constitutional provisions to make local government councils a third tier government in Nigeria.
Local Government Councils exist in Nigeria without Comprehensive Information Base. In most cases, records are scanty or non-existent. This accounts for dearth of information and data at the Local Government level across Nigeria.
My experience as information officer for Adavi LGA of Kogi State gave me the opportunity to make the topic of this term paper apt.
In Education, if learning is a change in behaviour as a result of experience, it becomes imperative on me to put my observations in black and white for sustainable information system for Local Government Administration in Nigeria.
This becomes important due to the complexities of Local Government Administration with emergent trend of democracy in Nigeria and democratic principles at the Local Government level.
2.0: Sources of Local Government Information
The sources of information generation and gathering can be achieved from the following areas where there is proper record keeping in the absence of council database, thus:
Council News materials, Council Chairman speeches /documentation
Photographs/pictures
Video cassette/clip
Photo album
Successive Roll of honour boards
Tape Recorder/Cassette
Minutes book
Councils publications
Subject files
Visitors book
Movement book
Computers
Council Bye-Law
2.1: Council News materials, Council Chairman Speeches /documentation
The information unit has a responsibility to record and document all important local government activities/programmes. This will enhance easy access and retrieval when there is need in the future as the documented material can be referred to for research. In this vein, there is need for Event Officer in Information Unit to record and keep such record for future use.
It is to be pointed out that news documentation are done in various forms. These forms include press release, minutes circular or memo, local bulletin, subject files as well as documented speeches of council Chief Executive Officers, Council gazette and publications on the councils, Councils Bye-Laws, Newspapers cut. The request for information of recent past in Nigeria Local Government Areas is often not easily accomplished. This is due to as a result of many factors militating against effective and sustainable local government system in Nigeria. Such factors include corruption, negligence of duty on the part of the schedule officer, pull down syndrome, Political interference, unnecessary sentiments among staff and intentional destruction of some official documents.
This problem can be reduced or eradicated if there is virile local government system where the political heads do not lord it over the management and where the state government does not dictate what to be done or not. The local government system in Nigeria is in chain as the local government councils are at the mercy of the state government.
Again, the practice of Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) between the states and local councils is another clog in the wheel of progress of the local government system. The JAAC has become an avenue by the states to muzzle councils, toy with council’s allocation and allocation of unimaginable percentage of local government resources which in effect is a betrayal of statutory responsibility of the state. In ideal situation, the state governments in Nigeria are constitutionally expected to contribute certain percentage of state revenue to add to local government councils revenue generation. The reverse is the case in Nigeria.
This is a negation of states constitutional duty as the local councils internally generated revenue may not be enough to meet most of their statutory responsibilities. The amendment of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to abolish JAAC and give autonomy to local councils to handle and manage their resources and revenue, there will be good record to show steady revenue generation by council as against the present practice of State Government taken over of revenue generation without corresponding percentage accruing to the local councils.
2.2: Photographs/Pictures – Photos and pictures of local government events, eminent personalities during council stakeholders meeting, traditional rulers and political leaders are taken and kept by the information unit.
Pictures, they say, speak for themselves as they symbolize and depitch the events they represent. A case in point is pictures taken during the flag-off Enumeration Area Demarcation Exercise for year 2006 National Census in Adavi LGA are still handy up till today.
Again, the local government information officer usually label the pictures either at the bottom or back to convey clear information and meaning to the first user with event heading as in swearing-in of Executive Chairman 2008, Commissioning of Hon. Chairman’s Officer in Adavi LGA in 2011 and Inauguration of Adavi Local Government Administrative Committee 2016 among others.
2.3: Video CD/Clips: The local government video camera officer is saddled with the duties to produce video compact Disc or clip of events in the councils. The events are cut in CD plates which are distributed to the local government functionaries and other stakeholders with a copy reserved in information unit archive.
It is the CD plate that the information officer sends to the media houses especially the electronic media, television for council news with local council press release. This means of information gathering is very portable and durable as the CD plate does not constitute any serious load on the holder as its transport is at ease.
In this vein, the CD plates and clips of council events are traceable and retrievable from information unit.
2.4: Photo Album – The photo album of major events are usually prepared to showcase the events and personalities that attended the occasions. Therefore, the photo albums of events like swearing-in or inauguration of new Council Executive, Legislative Council, Commissioning Ceremony of Projects, Council Stakeholders meeting, Official visit of important state and National (Federal) officers.
The photo album will depitch the theme of the event, labeling of personalities in attendance and functions perform at such events. The photo album is usually kept in the offices of the Council Chairman or Public Relations Officer (PRO). Therefore, visitors to the council secretariats are fed with the photo albums to see the record of events in the area according to different administrations.
One major advantage of photo album is that it last longer than photo pictures and can be referred to with the title of the event if there is need in future for its use.
2.5: Successive Roll of Honours Boards: There are boards in the offices of the Council Chairman, Director of Local Government and Secretary to the Local Government showing the names of successive Administrators that once governed the local government.
The details of the boards usually show the name of the Administrator, duration and remark. The remark column under the office of the Chairman will reflect whether the officer is elected or appointed. In Kogi State, the office of the Local Government Chairman has undergone different nomenclatures like Executive Chairman, Caretaker Chairman, Senior Special Assistant I, Liaison Officers, Administrator and Sole Administrator.
Inspite name tag, any occupier of the office performs the functions and duties of the Chief Executive Officer of the Council. He or she liaises with the internal and external publics of the council on the effective administration of the area.
The visitors to the Chairman’s office will see the Roll of Honours of Successive Administrators that have piloted the affairs of the council. The information contain on the boards is good for research work for students historians and researchers.
It becomes imperative for the local government information officer to regularly update the Roll of Honours Board when there is a change of baton in the leadership of Local Government Administration.
It is also conventional for the information officer to keep record of achievements of the successive administration including important publications and press release of the activities and programmes executed.
2.6: Tape Recorder/Cassette: This is used to record council important events where the voice of the Chief Executive Officer is recorded in cassette and clips. The cassette can also be cut into CD plate or MP3 for use in Radio and Television Stations.
The voice of the council officer recorded is later relayed on Radio Programmes like Radio Kogi in Focus, Tao Radio News and Jatto Radio News and Phoning Programme before News paper review.
The events cassettes which provide audio information to the users, go a long to provide information that should have been forgotten by mere guessing after long time of the events.
The modus operandi of keeping the events cassettes is to label the cassettes with events title and dates including the local government officer that cover the programme for the local government as such events as the production of the information unit, with date and year.
Therefore, Each Local Government Chief Executive is to provide midget tape to information officer to cover local government events which facilitate news reporting and writing to the information officer and other journalists that may want to use the cassettes in future.
Inspite the advent of video camera coverage and use of social media, the role of tape recorder is still relevant in information gathering. This is in effect as it’s more economic to use to others like videoing and social media. This is wholly manifested in its unique usage without any platform of application as in social media that has to be termed on Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube, Instagram, etc.
2.7: Minutes Book: The use of minutes book is very vital in information recording in local government areas across the country. Minutes book is of various types but two are common at the local government level. These are termed temporal and permanent. A minutes book is said to be temporal when it is on emergency or adhoc issue that has no permanent subject head
or file but is recorded to meet the urgent needs of the situation and officer concerned.
A minutes book is said to be permanent when it is used to record the finances, policies, policies/programmes of the council. When there is elected representatives at the local government level, a permanent minutes book is kept by the council recorder who covers the minutes of meeting of the Council Finance and General Purpose Committee (F & GPC).
Again, when there are vacuum and the career civil servants take charge of the local government administration, a minutes book similar to that of F&GPC is needed to record the meeting of the council management committee.
The committee which is the executive arm apex policy implementation body in the local government, it’s minutes book remains a vital information book on the council activities. This book serves as reference material for the council on projects implementation and if there is litigation from erring contractor in a law court, it remains a classified document of the local government that can be presented.
2.8: Subject Files: These are files opened on topical or sectoral issues for specific purpose(s) where correspondences are filed and tagged. The correspondences are then minuted and progressed on depending on officers concerned which is often top bottom approach as all mails to the council are addressed to the Chief Executive. It is rare that bottom-up approach is used in correspondence in the council administration.
A case in point mails on issues are filed in the subject filed on education or union mails are also filed in union files either NULGE or MHWUN at Local Government Level.
Subject files enable the user to trace and retrieval of mail easy as the file title will facilitate search for relevant file use for a particular mail. Subject file is different from personal file which is opened for individual staff of the council. It is another source of information at the local government level.
The problem of files in Local Government Administration include mutilation of file documents, outright stealing and concealing in hidden cabinet where they are not easily traceable. In the local government councils where files are properly kept in cabinets, they provide useful information to the would be file user or on demand by the authority.
2.9: Council Publication: Local Government Councils in Nigeria at times carry out publications on councils activities to showcase achievements of the administrations. This is to herald to the wider public where the councils have impacted positively on the life of the rural dwellers.
Again, Legacy Award is usually bestowed on deserving council Chief Executives who have distinguished themselves in specific areas and sectoral development in local government administration.
In addition, the local government councils at times order supplement on their activities, policies and programmes. The publication here is different from occasional press release on council events which are given to both print and electronic media houses for use.
2.10: Computers: are electronic device for processing and storing data fed into them according to the instruction given in a variable programmes. Most Local Government Councils in Nigeria are without computers and where available are in short supply and their uses are limited.
Computer multidimensional functions receiving, processing, storing and retrieving data makes it to be data base for local councils. In effect, this device is not widely used by the councils except some of their officers and the information unit and budget, planning, research and statistic department use computers. This device can store a variety of information which concern Local Council activities. Computer should be widely used for councils activities and programmes to provide means of generating data base for the councils. The idea of producing councils documents from commercial centres outside the secretariats should be discontinued as councils documents are not saved.
In Local Councils where computers are widely used, sourcing for information and data retrieval from them are assessable and comprehensible if the councils should establish their councils e-portals for internet accessibility.
In a nutshell, computer should be used as data base by councils because of its high capacity of storing information and such computer should be free from destruction or virus not to disrupt or distort the information and data already stored and saved.
3.0: Measures to Safeguard Local Government Information
The needs to safeguard local government information cannot be over stressed. The modes of information gathering differ from and another deserve various means or steps to guard such information from distortion or extinction. The importance of this is that information and data available and handy when the need arises. In the absence of no trace of information at this tier of government, it becomes a problem to the Local Government to asses and build on pending issue that is kept in view which needs to be revisited in future when the council is ready to commence action on it.
The measures to safeguard local government information are outlined below. These are:
3.1: Documented Materials: To safeguard printed materials in the local councils, the information officer responsible for moderation of programmes should open a file in information unit titled speeches of the Council Chief Executive and file any speech delivered by any person at the helm of affairs of the council either during the elected representatives or trandition periods.
Again, the information in prints should be made in hard and soft copies. The soft copy can be stored in a flash and labeled which can be put to use when the need arises in future. This should be co-ordinated or handled by the information officer as the council chief executive officers are always busy with political and administrative duties.
To avoid non-availability of information and data at the Local Government Level, I suggest that the information gathered should be centrally kept in a cabinet with record of such movement or needs of the information to avoid loss without trace and retrieval.
3.2: Photographs/Pictures: These are photo shots of events, projects and people that have interacted with the councils over times. The pictures of councils activities can be saved from destruction or theft when they are professionally handled by the local government photographer. This photographer who works under information unit head, jointly label the pictures according to the events and parceled differently.
The parcel of the pictures of events should be deposited in the offices of the council Chairman and information section for visitors to see the past events of the councils.
The council information office remains the custodian of photos and pictures of council activities and can also be referred to produce the needed pictures, if there is demand in future. The major problem of photos and pictures is that they fade after a long period and they get mutilated from use and spoilt.
3.3: Video Cassette: The video coverage of event is another means of getting information where such events were video covered. The video cassette is then cuts into CD Plate or recorded memory for MP3 tape player.
The CD Plate is shared for top council functionaries while a copy is kept in the information unit as office copy. The CD Plate can be used as a source of information and news writing for television media house.
The CD plates are light and less bulky to keep as many of the plates can be kept in small safe apartment. The CD Plates are also labeled for easy identification and selection according to events and programmes.
Inspite the advent of social media platforms, video cassette and clips are still relevant sources of information and data at Local Government Areas. The CD plates provide the audio visual and MP3 memory audio to the local government officers and users. The video cassettes and clips are to be kept by the information unit of the councils for reference.
3.4: Photo Album: The photo albums of events are produced by the information unit for the office of the Chairman and Information. The photo album provides information on specific event and different activities and side attraction of the event. The photo album is labeled with the title of the event and date of the event including event venue.
The safeguard of this is to take inventory of the chairman’s office when there is change of leadership of Local Administration to make sure that photo albums in the office of the Chairman are not stolen or taken away by unknown person.
3.5: Successive Roll of Honours Board: The Successive Roll of Honours Boards is found in the offices of the council Chairman, Secretary to the local government and Director of local government or Head of Local Government Administration. The boards provide information to the readers and users such as the names of the officers that occupy the positions and period spent in office and with remark of either Appointed or Elected.
The roll of honours boards are very useful to the Students, Administrators, Historians and Researchers who may want to write on the Local Government Councils.
In some local councils, these roll of honours boards are not properly kept as they are not updated when there is change of leadership in Local Government Administration.
It is one of the functions of the council information officer to liaise with the Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government to update the boards for posterity to avoid a vacuum on information needed to be written on the boards.
3.6: Tape Recorder/Cassette: The information officer of the council needs a tape recorder to record council activities and produce audio cassettes for use by officials of the council and interested persons of the public. Such audio cassettes are edited by the information officer before they become public consumption.
The tape recorder cassettes are sources of information for news writing at the local level and for media houses who are very busy to attend the events concerned. The cassettes are to be part of record to be kept by information unit with label of the cassettes to make them easily traceable and retrieval.
3.7: Minutes book – The councils minutes book especially that of the highest policy body, Finance and General Purpose Committee (F & GPC) is important record containing information on the council’s activities. In addition, there are many adhoc committees’ reports which provide information on the councils for the users.
The F&GPC minutes book which is in the custody of the council recorder should be properly kept without mutilation as it can be a vital reference material.
3.8 Council Publication: The publications on councils should be kept in local government libraries excluding the copy kept in information unit for record.
The published periodic press releases in Newspapers on the councils should be purchased and kept wholly or cut and kept in special file titled “Council News” or “Publication General”.
The councils can float local newspaper or magazine to bridge the gap in information dissemination between the councils and their publics. The said magazine should bear the name of the council has done in Adavi LGA of Kogi State under Hon. Chief Ahmed Owuda Raji Administration (2008-2011) with Adavi Council Magazine. The below are few reflections:
4.0: RECOMMENDATIONS: Looking at the meaning of Local Government Councils and their statutory responsibilities, there is no doubt that this tier of government is in dire needs of restructuring. The constitutional provisions that make local government council a tier of government is jettison by the state governments that make local government areas appendage of their states without some measures of autonomy to carry out their local duties without states control and interference.
The information of each local government area in Nigeria should be seen as important and should not be handled with kid globes but preserve and protected for easy reference for future use.
The Local Government Councils should device means of storing their information to provide data base and make them assessable to the councils officials and other interested users.
Therefore, the local government information in soft copies should be kept with councils information officers and kept in a cabinet under lock and key. This is to protect the information or data from getting into wrong hands, mutilated, defaced or totally destroyed.
There is popular saying that “information is power”, in this vein, all council information should be treated with officialdom and avoid giving information or feeding false information to the public about councils activities.
The local government information officer who is the Public Relations Officer (PRO) should maintain and sustain good image of the council through inter-personal relationship on behalf of the council and its publics.
The staff of the councils should be cautious in handling local government information as the local government information officers have no authority to divulge councils information to the public except there is permission or directive for him to carry-out such task.
Above all, the local government information should be in the custody of the information unit and not for every staff to handle which could have adverse effect on the council. This is evident as information in wrong hands can be used negatively against the councils.
Again, the council Chief Executives should direct their Special Advisers on media or media Aid to work hand in hand with councils information officers to avoid conflicting information from the council.
4.1: CONCLUSION: To conclude this term paper, the measures to safeguard local government information in Nigeria have been stated as the onus lies on the councils Chief Executives to provide enabling environment for the information officers to keep local government information and not to make such information vulnerable to the unfettered staff, stakeholders and public.
The Local Government information unit needs to be provided with materials and equipment to generate and keep custody of information like Tape Recorder (Midjet), Video Camera, Photograph Camera, Computer set, Stationary and Android Cell phone. Again, there should be a vehicle for information unit in each local government to make the information officer mobile to cover council activities outside the secretariat premises.
From the above, it can be deduced that the measures to safeguard local government information is exclusive duties of information unit which is under the office of the Chairman as the information officer is only a custodian of such information and has no right or power to alter any without the directive or information of the Council Chief Executive.
With emerging trends in local government system, local government information needs to be computerized, stored and produced in flashes; this will make information available without much stress when there is need in future. This will make local government information sustainable and achievable in handy form in Nigeria.
There should be a paradigm shift to modern trend of information digitalization of record keeping of E-mail and internet facility at local councils secretariats from the dearth of information, record and data which is unhealthy for councils sustainable development as a tier of government in Nigeria: For sustenance of this, each local government councils in Nigeria should develop its website to make their information accessible anywhere in the world.
In this wise, Adavi LGA can be accessed on her portal on www.adavilga.ng.
REFERENCES
Offonry H. (1989), Guide to Public Relations Practice in Nigeria.
Owerri, New African Publishing Ltd.
Ozor E. (2004), Third Tier Government in Nigeria
Ibadan University Press Plc
Obeito S.H (2010), The Role of Information Officers in sustaining
Democracy
A case study of Adavi Local Government, Kogi State, Unpublished Postgraduate Thesis.
Toluhi J.O (2012), Local Government Administration,
A Nigerian and Comparative Perspective, Agunbay Publishers, Lokoja.
Onwora E. Nwuneli, Mass Communication in Nigeria.
A Book of Reading. Fourth Dimensions Publishers, Unilagos.
Supervised by
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Professor Adekunle Busari