I have made the above assertions against the background of the special dinner that Corporate Nigeria organised for Minister of Finance and their extremely appreciative courtesy visit to the President in Aso Rock. Also more vexatious was the apology that ThisDay rendered to some sacred cows in the administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo, on the back page of its edition of Monday, August 1,2005.

ThisDay newspaper rendered the apology in question in response to an article that critiqued the economic models and theories of the economic kitchen cabinet of the President Obasanjo’s government.

I am tempted to believe that this apology was tendered in a bid to protect the business and political interests of the medium's Publisher who deserves commendation though for still having justified iconoclasts such as Simon Kolawole, Segun Adeniyi etal as staff and columnists on his payroll. Rather than rendering apology for the piece written by Otunba Babasola Williams, which I assume to be fair comment, I would have preferred my highly revered Thisday Editorial team to avail allegedly aggrieved personalities in government space for a rejoinder in the newspaper.

These government functionaries in a worse case scenario can also resort to the law court to file for libel in order to protect their highly guarded reputation. I must confess that I and other loyal readers and passive stakeholders in the reputation that has taken Thisday over ten years to nurture felt affronted that our darling newspaper took it upon itself to apologise for an opinion piece done by a Nigerian who is not on its your payroll. I know with strong conviction that the Washington Post and New York Times will never subjugate their cherished reputation and excellent perception by informed readers to the predictably transient favorable perception of an incumbent administration. Nigerians that have had the courage to air their views on the debate on debt forgiveness have helped to properly position the discipline of economics as a social science that thrives on plural views and experiences of its proponents. Without sounding offensive permit me to affirm that majority of the policies of the Obasanjo government on the economic front are driven by intellectual arrogance and extreme narrow-mindedness. Those at the helm of affairs of this government have allowed themselves to be carried away by the assumed ''impeccable'' resume and work experience of members of its economic team with imperial multi-lateral financial institutions. The mind-set of this administration is that its economic eggheads are beyond reproach and their views on the economy are sacrosanct.

Though I work in the Finance sector I appreciate deeply the great success that people like Simon Kolawole of ThisDay have achieved in helping to demystify basic and sometimes complex economic concepts for the benefit of the ordinary Nigerian.

This by my reckoning is the social intermediation role that journalists should play in helping to democratise information about government policies at all levels.

The government needs to appreciate that the best way to sell its policies to Nigerians is to create an atmosphere for these policies to be critiqued freely by Nigerians with contrary views. The government creates room for justified suspicion when all we hear from most of its functionaries are intellectually barren comments that attempt to brand proponents of opposing views as unpatriotic or misguided Nigerians.

While I do not hold brief for the personal views of Simon Kolawole I find it funny that some government officials are referring to him as uninformed about the dynamics that guide the formulation of socio-economic policies. I recall very well that this was the same Simon Kolawole that canvassed support and participation of the civil society in the now botched National Political Reform Conference that was doomed to fail from the start. Though I and other Nigerians had reservations about Kolawole's article that attempted to rationalise the relevance of President Obasanjo’s National Conference we never called him names. It is will however be dishonest of me to say I am surprised at the bashing he is receiving from some government officials and veiled spokesmen who are too timid to identify themselves. I believe the debate on debt forgiveness offer Nigerians the opportunity to appreciate how the poor management of public opinion by government and the disregard for professional ethics by a private enterprise can contribute in a grave fashion to destroy an ailing and a thriving brand . For purpose of clarification the ailing brand is Nigeria that we all are desirous of positioning justifiably as the heart of Africa, while the thriving brand that is prone to being destroyed gradually is the ThisDay Newspaper.

I am of the conviction that the Nigerian government’s response to criticisms of the debt forgiveness package by concerned citizens was crude and unprofessional.

Rather than calling critiques names the government ought to have used the debate as an opportunity to position itself as a sensitive administration that encourages debate of government policies and values the opinion of it citizens no matter how unpopular.

Rather, government functionaries saw the debate and the debt forgiveness deal as a vintage opportunity to justify the several trips of the President abroad and castigate perceived enemies of the administration.

This attitude by my reckoning portrayed the government like a fiefdom that derives joy in being feared as against an administration that is respected for its proven commitment to the collective interests of Nigerians. I am sure foreigners who monitored the debate would readily lampoon the high and mighty posture of the government on an issue that affects the current and future well-being of all Nigerians.

One of the trademarks of countries with developed economies and stable political structure is that that plural views beyond being encouraged are used as strategic platforms for marketing government policies.

A curious mind will ask how opposing views can be used to market a contentious government policy. I believe this end can conveniently be achieved if government functionaries responsible for selling specific public policies ensure that their public utterances logically address issues raised by aggrieved citizens. This harmless approach unfortunately has never appealed to those in government in Nigeria. The grave consequence of the style of labeling opposing views as unpatriotic views by public officials, is that Nigerians have trained themselves over time to view with suspicion the utterances of government representatives no matter how well intentioned. This type of mindset obviously makes it almost impossible for people to buy into the vision of the government and appreciate the factors that drive government policies. The concerted effort to reposition the Nigerian brand as the heart of Africa locally and globally can only be successful if relevant government agencies succeed in co-opting all Nigerians as marketers of this great vision. The Nigerian government has for too long ignored the immense value of eliciting the genuine patronage of its internal customers, by deliberately refusing to build the confidence of this important target market.

It is pertinent to emphasise that the best methodology for enlisting Nigerians as ambassadors of the Nigerian brand is for government to convince Nigerians that their views on public policies no matter how iconoclastic are welcome and respected. Ironically unfolding developments on daily basis do not in any way suggest that the views of Nigerians count for anything. I however believe that it is not too late for the current government to change its mind-set and re-consider the value it places on public opinion and the free expression of plural views on public policies. The management of ThisDay runs the risk of killing a vibrant brand and the daily companion of Nigerians like myself without using a dagger, if it continues to tender apologies that cast a doubt on its commitment to free expression. Beyond myself a lot of loyal readers of this medium felt slighted that the management of ThisDay did not give any thought to what such an unprofessional apology can do its cherished brand name. The greatest assets of a newspaper that should not be toyed with under any garb are its commitment to professional ethics and the confidence it enjoys from its readers. I am of the view that the apology published by ThisDay to appease some assumed sacred cows in the current administration only succeeded in eroding the immense values of the ThisDay brand. It is instructive to emphasise that this piece is not in any way intended to discountenance the immense contribution of ThisDay to the practice of journalism in Nigeria. Rather this commentary is meant to call the attention of the paper’s management to the existence of often-silent loyal readers and stakeholders like myself who want the ThisDay brand to be guarded jealously. I urge the management of ThisDay to remain committed to the use of the medium as a credible avenue for the expression of fair comment and cross-fertilisation of ideas in the true spirit of universally acclaimed journalistic ethics.

I have in the spirit of encouraging free enterprise and total deregulation in the expression of views often branded as unpopular or anti-government policies written the poem below, to celebrate and commend the courage of Nigerians who have continued to show greater allegiance to the common good as against the transient persuasions of those in government. This poem is aptly titled the beauty of plurality:    

Beauty of Plurality

The word consensus arouses fear

In my sub-conscious

It tells me an issue has not

Been buried and re-reburied

Often wonder can the human race

Ever agree on any issue

When our harmonious notes

Are far less than our dissonant tunes

I make bold to say

That these in congruencies account for our

Collective and individual successes

You may disagree if you wish

But it still doesn’t change

The fact that those who

Make consensus impossible at the

Flip of a finger are not deviants

They are the catalyst for growth

In all spheres of life

Though often branded clogs in the wheel

They are the credible agents of change

That compel you and I to

To assemble and dismantle all paradigms

Before they become norms and

Values that rule our daily lives

What these iconoclasts regularly

Unearth is the beauty of plurality

That is at the heart of whatever heights

The human race will ever attain

Omo’ba Olumide Idowu, is a Lagos based Banker, Poet and commentator on public issues.