The Nigerian media will unveil a nine‑member board of the National Media Complaints Commission—also known as the National Ombudsman—on Monday, a move aimed at strengthening public confidence in the press as a credible barometer of public opinion. In a statement, Kabiru Yusuf, president of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), described the development as a major step toward promptly resolving ethical breaches in media content.
The commission’s members are drawn from the media, the legal profession, academia, and civil society. They include Mr. Emeka Izeze, former Managing Director of *Guardian Newspapers* and Chairman of the commission; Mr. A. B. Mahmoud, SAN, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association; and Prof. Chinyere Okunna, Deputy Vice‑Chancellor of Paul University, Awka, Anambra State. Additional members are Dr. Hussain Abdu, Development Specialist and Country Director of Care International (Nigeria); Mr. Lanre Idowu, Editor‑in‑Chief of Diamond Publications Ltd. and founder of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence; Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda; Mrs. Dupe Ajayi‑Gbadebo, a journalist, lawyer and arbitrator; and Eugenia Abu, broadcaster, author, columnist and Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Information.
The process is being driven by the Nigeria Press Organisation, which includes the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, and other strategic media players, with support from civil‑society partners such as the MacArthur Foundation.
According to the statement, the commission will serve as an independent forum for resolving press‑related complaints quickly, fairly and free of charge; it will uphold high standards of Nigerian journalism and journalistic ethics; and it will defend press freedom and the public’s right to know. Prior to the February 22, 2023 announcement of the commission’s composition, each media house was directed to establish a local Ombudsman at the newspaper level. The National Ombudsman will function as an appellate body for these local ombudsmen and also act as a court of first instance.
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