Contemporary Press And The Undoing Of Nigerian Nation

By

Auwal Shehu

shehual@fastmail.fm

Over time Patriotic slogans were aired through educational syllabi and media journals by the government in an attempt to inculcate a national feeling among the citizenry, yet the result is still off mark. Patriotic sense is a duty bound by every individual or group of people calling themselves Nigerian. It is a feeling of self belonging, of unity, of origin, of history. It should be a feeling of loving one another and ready to defend each other from extra-territorial or any organized danger internally and externally with whatever method possible, it should be a love feeling sincerely felt and acted to a given territory officially recognized as a country. It is synonymous to what an American President once echoed to the American people; to think of what they are ready to do for the country not what the country should do to them.

Patriotism which is akin to Unity of Purpose among Nationals or citizens (Nigerians) is an acquired discipline through many ways. These can be transferred from Parents to Children, introduced and inculcated from learning institutions, or it can even be through professional indoctrination and schemes like in the Military, Paramilitaries and youth corp.  Conventionally there are symbiosis relationships between a citizen and a country or government.  How a country treats the affairs of its population often affect the level of patriotic sense displayed by those groups of citizens.

Just as were multiple routes to attaining patriotism and Unity towards a given country, there are also some sordid channels through which those positive feelings can be undone. Corruption, Disrespect to historical roots (culture), Tribalism, Marginalization, Absence of rules and laws, Dishonesty among governing officials, Coercive measures by the law agents and last but not the least the role of Media among many.

Prominently, financial corruption is adjudged to be the bane bedeviling Nigeria as a nation from actualizing its unitary objectives from all spheres of life. Rampant cases of financial fraud involving both public and private sectors over time has left many citizens frustrated and unpatriotic with little or no zeal to contribute in making a better Nigeria. The only thing that unites and seems to install a sense of National feeling is foot ball tournament involving the Eagles. Even these feelings never last long especially where the scores are on the negative.  There can hardly be enough descriptions to the numerous implications of financial corruption in a country like Nigeria. This devilish attitude among leaders and many of the citizens has culminated to affect varieties of proposed policies on one hand and many budgeted projects on the other.

Attitudinally this unwholesome practice has consciously eaten through every fabric of our life as a country. Morality and respect, sincerity and discipline have all been thrown to the gutters leaving behind their ugly consequences. Despite the unending consequences that are associated to corruption in our society, the gimmick employed to cover such misadventure poses more threat to the unity of the nation. Such gimmicks were often used through the media and its professionals by the culprits within us.

A group of yester year’s journalist will continue to earn a respectful position in the history of this country. A crop of them used their training to fight for the independence while some of them expanded their struggle to the shores of African continent. Great nationalists like Azikwe and Herbert Macaulay and Nkrumah have indeed engraved their expertise to free the African Man from the shackles of colonialism and instilled a sense of unity amongst the race.

Journalism has a prominent role to play among the pillars that sustain democracy as a system of government. Ordinarily as a profession it supposes to add to the balancing mechanism between the presidency, legislature and the judiary. Contextually within Nigeria, press/journalists have had an enabling ground to act their role especially during this republic. Of recent there was an approved bill on freedom of information.   

Unethical practices by some of the media axis in the country through promoting self-made goals above the nation’s, had not only weakened the collective feeling of self belonging among Nigerians but have gone a long way to fan the flame of discord. Unlike the Presidency and the Legislators where utterances are often coated in patriotic messages the Nigerian press hacked on any opportunity to castigate a different region from their own.

Nigerian press hardly judge an issue independent of its impact to the polity without smuggling a tribal interpretation either because of the author or the office such an author operates. Painfully again is the recent gang up to belittle some parts of the country especially the North. Nigerians hailed from the northern region were called names and ridiculed because of their religious background or simply because they are from same area were daring Military coupe’ heads came from.

Contemporary practice by these groups of press had added a molesting picture to describe the north as backward, illiterate, barren and empty to contribute any resource for the sustainability of the country. This detracting practice has degenerated to the reader-view- pages on some dailies unedited with Islam that is predominantly observed as religion and its humble prophet receiving calculated bashings because of an isolated act of some misguided elements from the region.

Islamic phobia among some notable Nigerians, Political lost-outs and economic policy changes were enough reasons by the victims to castigate and blame the whole region and its members. The system has gone unchecked that some ex-jailed birds can invite press conferences by promoting war. And the press was so made unethical by helping to promote the dismembering of the country consciously through covering the activities of rebels and kidnappers forum ceremoniously. In other situations, they refused to cooperate with the agents of law to divulge a leading link to many terrorists’ gangs visiting unimaginable mayhem on us.

In spite of the technologic development that made the report of news easier to verify by linking up sources and figures, an area where notable international press men received awards, the Nigerian press can shamelessly report from buss gossip or market gist un mindful of the ethics that emphasizes on dependable source. Major journals of international repute applies an in between line message to what idea, or nation they plan to promote and protect. Many of such targets are their home countries. But Nigerian press will rather conceal a maltreatment report of somebody from other region committed locally and exaggerated on his report concerning others he considered as his folks in some places all within same country.

True Nigerians are those referred as common man/woman who intermingles for business or social reasons. They are pocket of the Ibo, Yoruba groups who you find in every nook and cranny in the northern part of the country just as you meet their counterpart making up of Hausa Fulani in the creaks and Sabo settlements in many Yoruba towns and cities. These are Nigerians who meant peace and development but often rendered as victims of miss-reportage by the press already bent on promoting hatred.

Late Gani Fawehinmi was the only voice that noticed this harmless group by declaring the fact about the northern people. He attested that the former Military heads and other politicians are not much different than their friends in the West. They are all for their Children and spouses. And that there is a stack division between ordinary Northerner and the elite groups who dine and wine together with their business partners in other region of the country. 

Until the Nigerian press come to terms with the truth that terrorist only constituted a fraction of the Northern region and that majority of the people there are vehemently against such foreign culture and Islam is Peace, just as he wants to differentiates between Aninis, Tompolos, Asaris and Gani Adams, will his report match an ethical balance.

It is until he devises an investigating journalism approach to ascertain and explore his country from all corners by itemizing the rich deposit of some resources will there be an appreciation to each other not by him arranging fibs as report from a cozy office in his locality,

As patriotic professional his duty should be above monetary gain by shunning away from flammable report orchestrated mostly by political lost outs and religious pusillanimous. The national objective should be promoted over any. The press group should learn to appreciate the fact in the global economic dynamism instead of mapping a jettison approach to National policies that did not suit some cheats in our society.

Nigerian press should gear up and practice assiduously in their report not waiting to copy from foreign media on news that happens locally. They should be aware that inciting violence through recycling gruesome pictures will serve no body better. This indolence in news coverage must have been the reason behind their poor prize winning visit in South Africa.  

By doing a dirty work in order to promote an evil agenda calculated by some tribal groups will end up disorganizing those harmless group who the true Nigerian, yet not all the press men can have a route to relocate when the sound of war drum echoes within. They might be forced to share a worst burden locally while the agenda planners flee the scenario.

Largely from the government a stern law ought to be promulgated to stop unethical report with a doctrine inculcated to respect each other and appreciate diversity.