Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akintunde Rotimi, has said issues of digital governance, data protection, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and digital rights are now central to democracy, accountability, and the protection of fundamental freedoms in Nigeria.
The House Spokesman stated this on Monday while delivering the opening address at a one-day capacity building retreat for the House Press Corps and parliamentary media teams at the National Assembly Library, Abuja.
Rotimi said the legislative environment now operates within complex digital questions that directly affect democratic institutions, economic development, and public trust, stressing that the responsibility of interpreting such issues accurately rests on legislative reporters and parliamentary media professionals.
According to him, the work of the Press Corps and media teams directly shapes public understanding of Parliament, public confidence in democratic institutions, and the quality of civic engagement in the country.
He noted that the retreat, organised by the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs with the support of Paradigm Initiative, reflects a deliberate commitment to professionalism, ethics, competence, and institutional coherence in legislative communication.
“Our vision is to position the Tenth Assembly as The People’s House — a Parliament that is trusted, responsive and results-driven,” Rotimi said, adding that the mission of the committee is to deliver timely, factual and innovative public communication that strengthens institutional credibility.
The House spokesman said the committee’s work is anchored on the values of transparency, engagement, and accessibility, explaining that transparency demands accuracy and clarity in reporting, engagement requires collaboration between journalists and parliamentary communicators, while accessibility ensures that legislative processes are understandable to citizens.
Rotimi further said that as the volume of digital-related legislation before the National Assembly increases, the responsibility to report such matters with insight, balance, and technical understanding also grows.
He explained that the retreat was designed as a professional engagement, featuring sessions on digital rights, the state of digital freedoms in Nigeria, legislative interpretation, and practical simulations.
He thanked Paradigm Initiative for supporting the retreat and urged participants to engage actively and take full advantage of the training to improve the quality of legislative reporting.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Press Corps, Mr. Gboyega Onadiran, said information now travels faster than legislation, with public perception often moving quicker than policy in today’s digital age.
He said journalism and legislative communication no longer operate only through headlines and press statements but within a digital ecosystem shaped by data, algorithms, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and online rights.
According to him, how these digital issues are understood and explained to the Nigerian public has become increasingly important, as they now influence public trust and democratic engagement.
Onadiran said the responsibility of the Press Corps goes beyond reporting proceedings of the House, stressing that journalists covering the National Assembly must make parliamentary work understandable, credible, and relevant to citizens.
“This is a duty we have continued to perform patriotically and ethically, and it can only get better,” he said.
He described the retreat as timely and necessary, noting that it provides an opportunity to build capacity, strengthen collaboration, and align professional standards as digital governance increasingly shapes Nigeria’s legislative future.
The Press Corps chairman commended the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs and House Spokesman, Rep. Akintunde Rotimi, and members of the committee for initiating the retreat and sustaining regular capacity-building engagements.
He also appreciated Paradigm Initiative Nigeria for its collaboration and support for the programme.
Onadiran urged participants to engage actively, learn from the sessions, and leave the retreat better equipped to report and communicate legislative issues around digital governance with clarity and responsibility.
