New Face of Voice of America

New Face of Voice of America (VOA)

Yusuf Dauda

The startling trash entitled, “New Face of VOA” published in the April 20, 2005 edition of the Daily Trust and credited to one Shu’aibu Gimi, did not alone attract this rejoinder of mine. Gimi’s “article” was just the last straw that broke the camel’s back because it is reminiscent of earlier series of blackmails unleashed on the Head of the Voice of America (VOA), Hausa service, Mr. Sunday Dare and the Christians stringers he recruited (just two in all).

No sooner was the young pragmatic, cosmopolitan, Christian and a renowned journalist saddled with the responsibility of charting a modern and inclusive course for the Hausa service of the VOA since 2001 resumed than the well known career religious and ethnic alarmists of Northern Nigeria let loose hell once again. They made wild and whirl allegations, kept ranting, tried to instigate the people, peddled rumors, blackmailed and eventually embarked on media campaign – all with the aim of mobilizing the Northern Muslim population and his employers against Mr. Dare and (later) the two Christian stringers. But they woefully failed. They failed because apart from being increasingly exposed as ethnic irredentists, their agenda of holding on to the VOA Hausa service as the personal property of a region in Nigeria is now in the open. They have left many faithful listeners to wonder if the VOA Hausa service is being funded by the northern establishment or is it a truly American institution funded by taxpayers? Notwithstanding their campaign of calumny millions of northerners are being positively influenced and inspired by visionary and progressive intellects like Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Dr Yusuf Bala Usman, Col.

Dangiwa Umar (rtd), Nasir El-Rufai etc, most of whom, incidentally, are of nobler descent than the career Arewaists. They are opposed to the career alarmists because, being more informed, they exhibit intelligent love for the north and Islam and that increasingly impresses the Ummah. And from the religious circle, a bloc led by no less a personality than His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Maccido, checkmates the excesses of those professional troublemakers. Even in some states in the north one can sleep with both eyes closed thanks to a bloc of peaceful and God-fearing Islamic leaders led by Sheikh Ahmad Sanusi Gumbi much around.

It is instructive that even the idea of media campaign against Mr. Dare and co became popular only among this particular category of northern Muslim writers who are mostly recruited, the very few pathologically xenophobic fellows, who had never seen nor said any good thing about people of other faiths or tribes. In fact, the pioneer anti-Dare media campaigner once jammed the heads of the two main Muslim tribes of northern Nigeria, the Hausas and the Fulanis together due to his extreme ethnic chauvinism. It all began with his usual derogatory remarks on non-Muslim tribes to the amusement of his admirers. Gradually the passion got into his head such that he felt even the Hausas should have a taste of his ethnic chauvinism, at which point emerged outcry along the length and breadth of the north, which necessitated the intervention of some elders. Now the media campaign seems to have taken a new dimension with more ridiculous and desperate allegations being made against Mr. Dare and the two Christian stringers being branded “religious bigots” and “ethnic chauvinists” with the sole aim of instigating the Muslim Ummah against them. In fact, when I stumbled on Gimi’s “article” I resolved it was time to call a spade a spade. Of course after long patience and near persuasion with all possible courtesy in vain, the option remains standing up to call the bluff of the selfish characters who want to clothe everything they touch in religious garb. It is the only way the cocky and megalomaniac elements can realize that their overbearing, overrated, and overstated perception of themselves could be countered and punctured after all.

The Gimis of this world need to be informed or at least reminded that Mr. Dare was not the first non Hausa black to head the VOA Hausa service. An African American Muslim lady, Ms Rashida, who, unlike Mr. Dare that spoke Hausa, knew next to nothing about the language, had no journalistic experience either in Nigeria or Africa had headed the service. Where were the Gimis when that “crime” was committed? Where were the shameless religious bigots ? Why did those crying wolf now not complain when Ms Rashida, a non Hausa/Fulani and who completely knew nothing about Hausa customs, was appointed? If the Gimis could tolerate the Muslim lady, why not Mr. Dare who is a compatriot, an experienced and internationally trained journalist who was born and bred in the north among the Hausas and has covered events in every part of Nigeria and Africa for almost two decades? Haba jama’a!.

Gimi ‘acknowledged’, rather grudgingly, that nothing less than promoting the interests of its owner country is expected of the VOA. But he lamented(?) that “VOA showcases the pride, dignity and arrogance of the United State of America…the whole service of the VOA predicates on propaganda”. He erstwhile alleged censorship. I am surprised that Mr. Gimi is pretending to be ignorant of the fact that the freest media are the western media. In fact if not for mischievous motive, Gimi has no moral justification to attack the VOA over alleged propaganda and censorship considering his background and the part of the world from where he comes. We all know that in northern Nigeria media censorship, dogmatic rigidity, social and ideological regimentation are the order of the day. So the concept of free media is alien to Gimi. He is just pretending to appreciate it. It is clear to every regular listener of the VOA that in order to distinguish its views from the news items of the VOA, the U.S government has created the “Editorial Reflecting the Views of American Government” which is aired at the end of the news and is clearly and properly defined so that listener can distinguish and, therefore, listen or ignore it at will. Yet, the VOA as a media institution continues to deliver daily timely, accurate and comprehensive news and information to millions of listeners world wide.

Perhaps for the likes of Gimi, any news that does not support the interest of his ethnic group or religion is propaganda. In his blind desire to just blackmail Mr. Dare, Gimi made a serious allegation that inter-alia, “there appears to be a deliberate effort on the part of the Hausa service (of the VOA) to create instability in African countries”. Yet as important as this allegation is the writer has not (and, of course, cannot) substantiate it. His allegation that Mr. Dare has put a ban on any interview with prominent Northern Muslims is another shameless lie! This was the same allegation brought against Mr. Dare right from the onset and through the years in the many sponsored articles on Gamji. Yet, millions of Hausa listeners know that more prominent northern Muslims and Christians and indeed Nigerians have had greater access to the VOA microphone since Mr.Dare took over.

Even ordinary Nigerians hear their views and voices aired more often. But we also know that more prominent northern Muslims are interviewed than their Christian counterparts and more prominence is given to Islamic events than the Christian ones because of the relative dominance of the Muslim listenership. Every sincere Muslim listener of the Hausa service can attest to that. I challenge Mr . Gimi or any person for that matter to furnish the world with an evidence of bias against Muslims and a favour done to Christian listeners. In fact, most of us have seen very diverse and better coverage of news and events in Nigeria and Niger and broader reporting by the reporters in the past three years.

The alarmism of Gimi is also evident where he claimed that Mr. Dare “cancelled some Islamic programmes like Musulunci A Amurka”. Can Gimi name the rest of the Islamic programmes Mr. Dare cancelled? As a matter of fact, Mr. Dare has not even cancelled the ‘Musulunci A Amurka’. He simply modified it to ‘Addini A Amurka’, to widen the scope of the programme to accommodate the other major religions in America. As we all know, ‘Addini A Amurka’ is still aired every Friday. So what is the fuss about? Or will the Gimi’s of this world have us believe that the editorial direction and content of the VOA is dictated by his likes in Nigeria.

While all the VOA Hausa broadcasters continue to do their work, they must not allow themselves to be drawn into the ethnic and religious fray. They must avoid and not found to be part of this tasteless gang up.

They must support through the discharge of their professional duties the rights of every Nigerian and non-Nigerian equal access to the VOA.

So when Gimi cited a petition allegedly written by the broadcasters dated April 26, 2004 and addressed to the Director of the VOA, I was amused because the petition, even if genuine, must have still fallen far below the expectation of the Gimis whose aims was to cause total confusion in the Washington office by maligning Mr. Dare’s reputation. Gimi’s knowledge about the petition against Mr. Dare could only have been possible through an inside source which is not limited to the signatories of the so-called petition. As for Mr. Gimi’s allegatio n of fall in standard at VOA Hausa, it is instructive that he is not competent to so judge. So being an acclaimed embodiment of tribal and religious bias as evident by virtually all his previous articles and reports, this judgment of his was most likely motivated by mere ethno-religious hatred than genuine concern. In fact, he is one of those who consider it a religious crusade to negatively portray any thing that does not tally with their ethnic and religious agenda. Little wonder that no progressive northern Muslim takes them serious on their bring-Dare-Down project. In fact, VOA Hausa Service is so popular under Mr. Dare that there has never been a public occasion at which there was so much support and clamour for VOA Hausa Service like the media coverage of its Kano office and activities and the HIV programs held in different parts of the north. VOA’s impact is being felt in Nigeria and Niger and it is a visible and credible contender not withstanding the attempt by paid agents to drag it down.

The alarmist also said, “… the recruitment of some ethnic chauvinists and religious bigots as reporters in areas with the largest concentration of its (VOA Hausa) listeners is a clear testimony to the allegation that the VOA has now won a new face. It is the conclusion of most listeners in these areas that Hausa service has launched a total offensive on the largest segment of its listenership” Ridiculous. So, VOA should only hire reporters that come from areas with the largest listenership. Haba! What logic! Perhaps, Gimi ought to simply come out and tell the world that is grouse is the fact that those recruited did not come from the same religious and ethnic background with him. Talking about recruitment, out of the seven reporters Mr. Dare recruited, only two, Grace Alheri Abdu, (nowa broadcaster) a native of Katsina state who used to report from Jos, and Ibrahim Garba a native of Bauchi state who still reports from Kaduna, are Christians. More recent recruits for Nigeria- Umar Farouk Musa, Sani Umar, Jibrin Gijinyu, Mujahid Usman, Binta Ibrahim, Yusuf Mamman (Niger) are all Muslims, yet more importantly journalists. We know the game here. In times past, it would not have happened. For daring to recruite northern christains stringers Mr.

Dare ha become a marked man and a Jihad declared against his leadership of the VOA. What a blind blackmail! Pray, how does having Chriatian hausa reporters reporting news turn them into religious bigots. Then, can we in the same token argue that all these past years the reporters that reported for VOA Hausa are Muslim r bigots? The Gimis of this world should carry their sermons to the mosques and market places. The VOA is not a religious institution but a news organization and may staff its organization the way it chooses best with effective news coverage as its primary goal. The likes of Gimi cann not dictate for the VOA through their insidious, inciting and reckless writings.

Alas, I must admit that religious bigotry and fanaticism are still a flourishing industry in northern Nigeria. In fact, at times, it seems more economically beneficial than the conventional industries, which are spreading in the more conducive south. Indeed, because of the Gimis, religion seems to have become an insurmountable barrier between the north and progress, they make the north at times look perpetually and inextricably wedded to religious intolerance with the attendant backwardness.

While every other region or part of the country is fastly achieving unprecedented internal cohesion, the north, blinded by the thick darkness of religious sentiment, is avoidably floating in a mind boggling limbo and at times, it seems to be on the verge of plummeting into a bottomless pit simply because the Gimis have turned the erstwhile prosperous region into a den of tension, agitations and conflicts. Drawn together by the common tragedy of educational, industrial and economic backwardness, the northern communities recently converged in Kaduna to declare mutual forgiveness and oneness but they had not happily dispersed than the Gimis started throwing spanners in the work for these campaigners of one north. The Gimis hate the idea of reciprocal concession because they are oblivious of the fact that reality is the effect of contrast.

Imagine the historic effort by the embattled north to stitch her bewildering ethnic and religious mosaic together is being nipped in the bud simply because it was not tied to the whimsical and capricious interests of some v ery few who are living in the past! Evidently, when the anti-Dare found to their dismay that VOA Hausa service was waxing stronger under him in contrast to their wishes, they began to see the young man as a thorn in their flesh and therefore resorted to giving him more hell of blackmail to toughen and roughen his ways to weaken him to a failure so that they will say, “Aha, but we told you’!! But willy nilly VOA Hausa service is manifestingly making the waves under the Headship of Mr. Dare with the support of the VOA of course and of course the cooperation of some his editors/broadcasters. For instance, Mr. Dare has set the record of establishing the first Main Reporting Centre ever by an international radio station in the heartland of Hausa, Kano city, in addition to other enviably good innovations in the service. In its entire history, this is the first time VOA Hausa is having a record number of reporters spread over Nigeria, Niger, Cameroun and Ghana. So we should embolden Mr. Dare rather than blackmail the moderate and well-meaning young man just because he is not of their own or our own. After all he is not less northern than the Head of the apex association of the northern people (ACF), Chief Sunday Awoniyi. The VOA Hausa service like every media organization is dynamic and will witness changes, a permanent feature of life. No group of people should think they have a monopoly of number, religion or the media as to try to use it to debase or terrorize others who do not share their views. We should call to order those who treat Middle Belters as non-northerners and other Nigerians as second class citizens before it becomes easier for the Jews to want to be taken back to the Hitlerian Hell of yore than for the scared Middle Belters to be convinced to physically and spiritually com e back to the north. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools” C.M.L. King).