A Brief: The Nigeria Media, 2007 and Sundry Issues

By

Prince Charles Dickson

pcdbooks@yahoo.com

 

 

A hunter with one arrow is not careless when shooting in the same vein a blind man who wants to throw a stone must have placed his leg on one and also somehow identified his target.

 

Last night I watched the new on the Nigerian Television Authority, the African Independent Television, and Channels Television. The news item that struck was not the escape from U.K of the cosmetic Governor-General of the Ijaw nation rather it was the meeting of the 189 Northern members of the House of Representatives, the meeting had both Atiku, Mohammudu Buhari in attendance. Strange happenings one might say, nothing is strange again in Nigeria because the nation herself has strange foundations…

 

To my gist, while the NTA simply carried the news from the any other business point of view, AIT also on the same occasion aired virtually the entire session of speakers with emphasis on when Hon. Victor Lar stated that they would not support an extension of the present democratic dictatorship, former I.G of police Jimeta Gambo also stated in unequivocal terms that the third term in whatever guise would not be tolerated. It was convenient that NTA reporters were missing in action on that note, funny especially with the round of applause that followed the declarations.

 

On her part Channels Television reported Atiku’s outbursts on him officially not being a PDP member, as he was not registered during the last masquerade called revalidation. Despite earlier claims that one membership card was presented to him by the PDP chairman at his Aso Rock Office. Heady days ahead.

 

The 2007elongation project started like a Nigerian Airways Plane as if it would never live the ground, but now in flight the problem is how it would land. In a discussion I told a friend that when Abacha lost his “son” in a plane crash he became more wicked and went about his personal ambition with such ruthlessness, although till he died even his personal friend late Wada ‘Nasty’ Nas once said at no point did Abacha say to any one he was going to contest elections or he was going to remain in power. And that is the point, Obj has not made any statement even the recent noise by the AD, northern caucus, and civil society is nothing. The death of Stella has made the President more determined. The song has reached the “all we are saying give us third term” point. It is at this junction I ask what has, is and will the media do… at this point, is the media a culprit, with what we read in the papers, are our journalists part of the establishment or outside, looking inside. With government paying the Press the highest patronage through its supplementary lies that it pays for through public notices and ads congratulating political offices holders, for doing their job. Is the Nigeria media really impartial? Do they really fall as one of the last resorts of the masses?

 

When the first Lady ‘yamotued’ as in died, the way most media in the country shied away from stating what killed her till date is ground breaking in the act of investigative journalism, the fact that a paper like Thisday kept speculating, alleging and using the term ‘reportedly’ is a shame and is worrying when an ord inary four year old boy knows the truth. But for AIT/RAYPOWER we may till now may have been looking for the Bellview plane and the crash site, after all anything is possible and nothing is impossible in Nigeria. To talk about NTA’s culpability is another episode, while people were busy making contacts, dead anxious as to what really was the state of affairs with the plane, NTA was busy with one Danjuma Abudulahi climbing unto an helicopter belonging to one of the forces, shame on Africa’s biggest network and affiliate of PDP, an extension of the continents largest nation-big for nothing. Maybe we should try being small for change, it may after all humble us and assist us in getting some things right at least for once.

 

As NTA has become a ceremonial broadcast house being experts in coverage of presidential state visits, bank AGMs and the wedding, birthday and funerals of thieves in town, the newspapers have their pages littered with obituary, congratulatory messages for anything to nothing, these days a governor buys a puppy dog, he is congratulated and because the page is paid for, readers are the end receivers of the agony. A counsellor at 51 years gets a diploma and sharp-sharp, it is half page congratulatory message and two pages commercial news on how he facilitated the digging of 100 boreholes in a community of 10 villages where 6 do not still have a borehole miracle you say. The Nigerian media has become accessory to of bad governance and it is saddening.

 

As the miracle of the present ‘regime’ is reaching alarming proportion, one is concerned about the position of the press. Has the press to become an affiliate or satellite campus of the PDP as some of the stories they write are only a reflection of a “Spain” inspired cosmetic surgery which when the S is removed we see through and what a PAIN at what the fourth realm of the estate has become.

 

With Journalist who are owed four, five, and nine months salaries what does one expect, a journalist of ten years standing cannot afford a midget for his interviews and a news media of over two decades cannot provide same for its Reporters. Then we are shocked at the rate thieves called leaders claim to be misquoted by Reporters. To be a Journalist has now become the beginning of poverty overtaking the teaching profession in Nigeria in order of ranking of ‘most inhuman professions in Nigeria”.

 

As the nation disintegrates, is the Press and Journalists in the ‘pen-pushing business’ or is it a purveyor of information. Are Journalists advocates or Reporters who instead of investigating to inform the public and enhance change have become experts in “according to”, “while speaking to newsmen”, he said, she said and what has the media itself said, is the Press fully b raced up for the terror of Obj or are we going to sit and watch the politics of the Ibadan-Lagos Press and the Northern press axis unfold again, when indeed we should look for a way to lock up the man we thought we did a favour by releasing in 1998.

 

Obasanjo is going everywhere, collecting awards smiling sheepishly like a newly wedded bride that simply wants a divorce as soon as practicable so she can rip the man’s suffering into two equal halves. Known for our innovativeness, we are gradually evolving a dangerous type of democracy. The media in Nigeria should be the bellweather to the outside world regarding what is really happening.

 

The Nigerian media should desist from the bridled reporting and hate Journalism and face the real issues head-on. Today the Press should be playing the role of the ‘third force’ it should not be the case of waiting to do the masters’ bidding no matter what the truth is, it should not be the highest bidder gets the space. The Press can do better it has shown that much it should stand up and be counted. If not at this rate the Press may be part of the gloomy picture and doom, which is not as far as it is predicted. May Almighty Allah save us from ourselves.