By Orkula Shaagee, Abuja

The Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa has called for harmonious working relationship between media organizations and the National Assembly in the effort to develop the country.

Doguwa, who represents Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State in the House of Representatives made the appeal yesterday during a courtesy call on him by members of the House of Representatives press corps led by their chairman, Mrs.

The lawmaker, who noted that the  media have important role to play in the development of the country, said that the 9th House of Representatives under the leadership of Rt.

“The 9th Assembly is going to be productive not only in terms of our duties as legislators but it will be reproductive even terms of our relationship with agencies of government and other agencies of democratic institutions we are operating in this country. The press obviously is one.

“You are fourth estate of the realm, you have always form very critical component of our democratic process and believe in each of you know that you have a critical role to play not just disseminating information from one arm of government to another but even in terms of awareness.

“There is this very long standing problem we have about the institution of the National Assembly. This is one very wrong perception that we members or stakeholders in the institution cannot clear it ourselves and we will expect that role to be played by you people (press). You are operating in between the public and various institutions of government and you are here. We also consider you ambassadors of this great institution out there on the street.

“We urge you to always present the National Assembly in the best possible light. Where issues contain misunderstanding, misperception, ignorance and sometimes even blackmail, we expect the press to help us play this role by really putting everything in perspective. Sometimes we talk about issues of even our allowances and the budget we have here in the National Assembly. “When you talk of N 110 billion budget for the National Assembly most Nigerians think this N 110 billion is to be shared among the 360 Members in the House and 109 in the Senate which actually is not the case. The way we operate our finances here is very much known to you and we hope you will make known even to members of the public. That would go a long way to disabuse blackmails and possible mischief among the Nigerian public.

“Democracy can only work when every component of the democratic system work in tandem with the other organs of government or other institutions of democracy.  I look at the fourth estate of the realm, the press as an inseparable arm of government. When you have three arms of government, it is like you left out one significant arm of government that is charged with that moral responsibility to cooperate, synergize and work in tandem with the operations and policies of government so that at the end, government will succeed.

“So in my view, you have even a greater role to play because government is the business that is been done for the benefit of the people and when business is being done for the people and if they are not well informed, then we have a problem.  The 9th Assembly have a lot to expect from you in terms of disabusing the minds of Nigerians to make sure that the perspective in which the National Assembly is put is always apt and appropriate because we cannot go on the streets and speak for ourselves,” he stated.