President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has identified the media as key players in the economic development of the country, as he called for greater collaboration between the media and government at all levels.
Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph  Olaniyon, to mark the 2017 World Press Freedom Day, also paid tribute to journalists across the world who have had to pay the supreme price, suffered injuries and deprivations while carrying out their legitimate duties.
The Senate president noted the enormous sacrifices made by the Nigerian media to end military dictatorship and entrench democracy in the country.
Saraki, stated that having contributed immensely to return the country to democratic rule, it was time for the media to key into the present administration’s determination to exit the current recession, grow the economy, and make life more meaningful for all.
He noted that the theme of this year’s celebration, “Critical Minds For Critical Times: Media’s Role In Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies”, cannot be fully realized without sustained improvement in the economic status of every Nigerian.
His words: “There is no doubt that one of the major challenges confronting us as a people is how to grow the economy and provide jobs for our teaming population. I believe the press has a great role to play in accelerating the process through the dissemination of appropriate information and unbiased reportage of government’s economic recovery efforts.
“The Nigerian media played tremendous role in ending military rule.  It is time for her to join the crusade to build a sustainable economy for the benefit of all”.
Saraki, therefore, called on media owners – public and private – to enhance the welfare and security of practitioners in the media, in view of their critical role in the socio-economic development of the country.
Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has said that no society can grow without an active press to monitor and report its activities, and restated the commitment of the National Assembly to continue to enact laws which will create conducive environment for journalism to thrive in the country.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, to mark World Press Freedom Day, Dogara also expressed concern over Nigeria’s international press freedom index, saying that it is disheartening that the Press Freedom Index – released last Wednesday by Reporters Without Borders (RWBl) – ranked Nigeria 122 out of 180 countries examined.
The Speaker further argued that the role the media plays in the development of a country as watchdog – especially in a democracy – cannot be overemphasized, and called on the Nigerian media to partner with the present administration to make its task of fighting corruption a success, not only by objective reporting but through investigative journalism.
Dogara assured that the House of Representatives, being aware that the press must be free to truly be the watchdog of the society, will continue to support measures to promote press freedom in Nigeria, especially through laws that facilitate the practice of journalism such as the Freedom of Information Act, which was passed by the National Assembly in 2011.
“We all know the role of the media in promoting democracy, because democracy itself guarantees nothing, it’s just a set of ideals that people utilizing the freedom that democracy brings to organize their lives in such a manner that delivers social progress and economic development,” he explained.
“The media serves as one of the voices of democracy and I believe that beyond all the roles played by all others, the media is far ahead in that it keeps the citizens informed about what government is doing and that enables them to hold public officials accountable, for instance, to the promises that they made.”
He urged practitioners to strive to ensure that there’s always timely, accurate and balanced reportage and decried the situation whereby some professionals engage in brinkmanship or politicizing their content, saying that such acts “tend to endanger democracy, because in that way citizens aren’t well informed.”

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja