The Nigerian media will on Monday inaugurate a nine-member board of the National Media Complaints Commission, NMCC, otherwise known as the National Ombudsman.
This is contained in a statement by Kabiru Yusuf, president of Newspapers Proprietor Association of Nigeria, NPAN and president, Nigeria Press Organisation, NPO.
Mr Yusuf said in the statement, issued on Friday in Lagos, that members of the commission were drawn from the media, the bar, the academia and civil society.
He said step had become imperative in the bid to strengthen public confidence in the media as a credible barometer of public opinion.
Mr Yusuf listed membership of the NMCC to include Emeka Izeze, former managing director, Guardian Newspapers (Chairman); A. B Mahmoud (SAN), former President of the Nigerian Bar Association and Prof. Chinyere Okunna, deputy vice chancellor, (Academics) Paul University, Awka, Anambra State.
Others are, Dr Hussain Abdu, a Development Specialist and country director, Care International (Nigeria); Lanre Idowu, editor-in-chief, Diamond Publications Ltd. and founder, Diamond Awards For Media Excellence, DAME and; Edetaen Ojo, executive director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA).
The rest are Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, a journalist, lawyer and arbitrator; Eugenia Abu, a broadcaster, author, and columnist, and the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Information.