Between Governance And Communication

For democracy to thrive in any country, there must be adequate communication between the ruler and the ruled. And for democracy to succeed, it must incorporate communication, hence, the role of the press in the attainment of independence and democracy in Nigeria. Communication makes democracy feasible for any country.
From a political point of view, any political class that does not communicate effectively with the people is bound to fail. It is through communication that people engage the government on issues that affect them. Without strike or protest, people have the responsibility to keep the government and its officials on their toes through effective communication to sustain and promote democracy.
There are several issues agitating the minds of Nigerians such as insecurity, kidnapping, economic recession, unemployment and many others. All these have to do with transparency in government and doing things right. For the voice of the people to be heard on these issues, communication must come to play just as the welfare of the people is expressed through talking and bringing the view of the populace to the government via the media.
Democracy is the rule of the majority, so cannot be practiced without communication. The communication may be through the use of the media – newspaper, radio or television or by interpersonal communication between the people and government officials.
Effective communication and dialogue between the government and the people on policies and programmes are veritable antidote to the settlement of disputes. So there is a great need for better communication. Communication is good for democracy and for society as a whole. It instigates key democratic functioning by forcing government to operate more effectively and transparently while simultaneously inspiring citizens to become active participants in the civic process. Communication is clearly good for society because it increase civic participation by empowering citizens, making the adage “knowledge is power” practicable.
Citizens who know what their government is supposed to provide for them are in a much better position to advocate for and communicate their needs as it is an informed citizen that makes an informed electorate. In turn, a government under the watchful eye of an engaged or enlightened public will be forced to do the right thing or face the consequences of the polls. This then translates into more informed decision, organizing more transparent elections, a more responsive leadership and more effective public institutions, including a legislation that will be better equipped to write or promulgate effective laws based on more accurate record-keeping.
The benefits of communication in a democratic setting are enormous. In addition to the more obvious benefit of accountability, communication or information decrease government opacity and secrecy. This is where the implementation and functioning of the Freedom Of Information (FOI) should be made more effective. Government transparency is to ensure democratic and healthy society, both of which Nigeria is taking steps to become.
Given the emphases by the current administration on true democracy and anti-corruption to ensure good governance, media practitiones should endevour to clarify issues during political campaign so as to bring the aspirants close to the electorate. They need to teach the electorate the difference between party and candidate, to enable them make wise decisions.
The electorate should be assisted by the media to analyze campaign messages of politicians. The press is the voice of the masses, so it must be objective and impartial in its reportage and analyses of issues and events. It is the duty of the media to be fair and ethical in the reportage of political issues as well as verify conflicting issues in order to sustain democracy.
Indeed, the importance of communication in a democratic government cannot be overemphasized. For example, the meeting of President Muhammadu Buhari with governors of the 36 states of the federation on Thursday, April 28, 2016 in Abuja rightly demonstrated the need for communication or interaction among democratic leaders. The meeting proffered some solutions to the present economic situation in the country and the hardship facing the citizens.
Such communication is quite encouraging at all levels of government to facilitate democratic consensus-building and political stability in the nation. Communication increased participation in politics
Democracy ensures that leaders are accountable to the people. Similarly, democracy and communication ensure that rulers limit their extraction of resources to what is necessary for national growth and productivity. Any country where democracy combines with free flow of communication will surely witness freedom.

Shedie Okpara