Opinion
Should Journalists Be Kidnapped (I)?
“In the final analysis, men are not likely to be assessed by merely their longevity but more importantly, by their contributions to the improvement of human conditions” -Ray Ekpu.
Society has proved yet again to be an ingrate. Why can’t society highly esteem the work, sacrifice and price, even supreme price paid by journalists in their quest to reshape the society and make it a better place for all. The kidnap of four journalists on Sunday, July 11 near Aba, Abia State with a ransom of N250 million placed on their head make this postulation imperative.
Pray, why should these urchins of society think of extending their stock-in-trade to members of the fourth estate of the realm? Why should anybody ever think of kidnapping Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos Chairman, Wahab Oba, Zone “G” Secretary of the Union, Adolphus Okonkwo, the Council’s Assistant Secretary, Sylva Okeke, Shola Oyeyipo and their driver, Azeez Abdulrauf. Their abduction becomes more awful and perturbing when viewed against the backdrop that they were returning from the meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union in Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom state capital, where they had joined their colleagues from the 36 states and FCT, Abuja to deliberate on how to move Nigeria forward and took far-reaching decision in this regard. Thus, they were on a national assignment when the marauders struck and took them captive. Sad indeed!
In a piece titled: “Tokumbo Ajayi: Death of a journalist” – a trbute to NTA Celebrated Newscaster who meet her waterloo in London at 37 – published in The Tide of Saturday, September 9, 2000, I decried the attitude of society to practicing and fallen journalists, how society which the journalist belaboured for turns round to stab the journalist at the back.
In that piece, I strove vehemently to bring to bare the nude truism that society which the journalist does everything to improve in his life-time usually shuts its eyes as the journalist vacates the dramatic stage of life, exim proviso! The moment he ceases to inhale oxygen and expels carbondioxide, society immediately forgets his contribution towards swinging, uninterruptedly, the pendulum of society’s clock. In a twinkling of an eye. What a great disservice to the memories of men of the press.
That was in Year 2000. Ten years down the line, the situation has degenerated, the journalist is not only hated and forgotten in death out while alive he is despised, traumatized, tortured even the more, set up nailed/kidnapped! Oh! how often this anabolic society brushes aside the immense contributions of the journalist! Oh, why should society be so callous?
Yes, the kidnapper and his godfather need to reflect on the inspiring words of Rey Ekpu (Newswatch, 1986) that. “In the final analysis, men are not likely to be assessed merely by their longevity but more importantly, by their contributions to the improvement of human conditions”. Yes, they need to realize that the journalist is one man that contributes meaningfully “to the improvement of human conditions,” including the kidnappers’ own condition. Why should society fail in its duty or role of assessing the journalist, of evaluating his contribution to society, of appreciating him in life and in death? If at a time the sun and the moon rain their radiance on the head of the journalist, he is not appreciated, but kidnapped, is it when he percolates six feet below that he would be hailed?
Pray, is it nefandous or meandrous for society including kidnappers to applaud and eulogise the journalist for toiling day and night to oil the wheels of society and accelerate the speed of human progress, at nightfall? Society needs to be told point blank that journalism is one profession that does not allow its practitioners any room for rest. The journalist is like a soldier in the battle field, indeed at the battle front. He stays awake, even at night, keeps scheduled vigils so that society would not sink, sink into oblivion, so that society would not group in the dark and plunge head on in the dark, primitive age.
Society needs to be told, without fear of contradiction that the journalist works 24 – hours a day, seven days a week, 30/31 days a month and 365/366 days a year in his quest to improve society’s lot. In the sun, he is there! In the rain, he is there! At night, his is there! Even at weekends, when millions of his compatriots have retired to holiday resorts with their families, the journalist is keeping sentinel at his duty post!
Not even during nationally – declared public holidays or world acclaimed “Rest Days” is he saved the rigors of his job; for if he slumbs, society slumbs! If he chooses to blacklist society by refusing to report and analyse events, society stands the risk of getting anti clockwise. And in spite of all the rigors he goes through in putting smile on the face of society, society values him not, never highly esteems him. Alas!.
Society needs to be told again and audaciously too, that in the course of toiling in his professional calling for the good of humanity, the journalist does not really have ‘resumption and closing time’. Even the touted profession of ‘learned men’, Law, has! So does the ‘profession of stethoscope’ – the doctor has visiting/consulting hours; he knows when to be on his seat and when to vacate it; it is only in cases of emergency that the doctor flouts the rule of closing when he should. The profession of “Overall and Spanner” prescribed resumption and closing hours for its practitioners. That is why the practitioners, the Engineers, could go home at the end of the day’s work. Nature extends the same magnanimity to practitioners of other professions.
But for the journalist, the story is different. Totally different! There exists dichotomy between him and others. His office is open day and night. He could be assigned to cover an assignment even at odd hours when his kits and kins of other professional callings are snoring in bed, and he dare not say ‘No’; he dare not frown, else he would be ‘contravening’ the ethics of his chosen profession. The journalist is he that is given the heart of a Lord Burdin Powell – the founder of the ‘Boys Scout Movement, at training, the heart of “be prepared” (the Scout Motto, as amply demonstrated by Powell). So “Be prepared” becomes his watch word, the journalist’s watch-word, day and night.
So much so that even when he chooses out of his own volition, to “close” for the day’s work, and he stumbles on a piece of news item that could perish if not promptly reported, he bades ‘farewell’ to his companions, and retract his steps, back to his office to file the story.
If he is sleeping at night and there is a news out-break (like arson, for instance), he would bury sleep single-handedly, that selfsame hour, breast-up to the challenge and dash into the dark night to investigate the cause of the incident, conduct interviews, speak with eye-witnesses and find out ways of preventing a re-occurrence… and straightway, to his office to file the story! Work! Work! And work!
The journalist is he that works his heart out for society’s betterment, he is he that inconveniences himself to appease the god of society. The journalist is he that is duty-bound to pass the night in his office with one eye open, because he has to supervise production.
To be continued
Justus Awaji
Nigeria, often referred to as the “Giant of Africa”, is endowed with vast natural resources,
a large population and a youthful workforce.
Despite these advantages, the country faces persistent economic challenges, most notably high unemployment rates over the years. Successive governments remain a central issue contributing to poverty, social unrest, and underdevelopment. The economic wellbeing of a nation is significantly tied to her employment levels.
In Nigeria’s case, high unemployment has become a key driver of its poor economic performance affecting everything from productivity and income levels to crime and political instability.
Unemployment in Nigeria has assumed a multidimensional nature, characterised not just by joblessness but also underemployment, informal employment and precarious working conditions.
The Nigeria National Bureau of Statistic (NBS) said the youth with over 60 percent of Nigeria’s population under the age of 30 percent youth unemployment is a time bomb threatening the nation’s future.
Many graduates leave universities and polytechnics annually with little or no hope of securing decent jobs.
This structural unemployment is the result of a mismatch between skills and labour market needs, inadequate industrialisation, and a weak private sector.
Unemployment affects an economy in numerous direct and indirect ways.
In Nigeria, it leads to a reduced consumer base, when large sections of the population are not earning steady incomes, they have limited purchasing power which in turn affects the production and growth of businesses. Companies produce less, invest less and hire fewer people, leading to a vicious cycle of low economic growth.
Moreover, high unemployment translates to lower tax revenue for the government with fewer people paying taxes. The government has fewer resources to fund infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other public services that stimulate economic development.
This fiscal weakness forces Nigeria to rely heavily on foreign loans, which leads to rising debt levels and economic vulnerability.
Furthermore, infrastructure deficits including inadequate power supply, poor road networks and limited access to credit make it difficult for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to thrive, yet SMEs are the bedrock of employment in many developed nations. Nigeria’s weak support for SMEs stifles innovation and job creation.
Another tragic consequence of high unemployment is the mass exodus of Nigerian talent to foreign countries in search of better opportunities. The brain drain weakens the country’s human capital base and deprives it of professionals who could contribute meaningfully to national development.
The “Japa” phenomenon-a slang used to describe young Nigerians fleeing the country reflects deep disillusionment with the system. Doctors, nurses, software engineers and other professionals are leaving in droves. The cost of training these individuals is absorbed by Nigeria, but their expertise benefits foreign economics. This dynamic further deepens the economic challenges as the country loses its best and brightest minds.
Addressing unemployment in Nigeria requires a multifaceted approach, first.
Secondly, industrialisation must be prioritised. The government should create an enabling environment for local manufacturing by improving infrastructure, reducing Bureaucratic bottlenecks and offering tax incentives reviving the agricultural sector with modern techniques and supply chains can also absorb a significant portion of the unemployed.
Thirdly, Governments at all levels must be held accountable for implementing job creation programmes transparently and effectively. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) should be encouraged to drive innovations and employment in ICT, renewable energy and logistics.
Finally, Nigeria must diversify its economy away from crude oil and invest in sectors that generate mass employment. Tourism, education, healthcare and creative industries such as film and music hold immense unlapped potential.
With genuine commitment from leaders, strong institutions and the active participation of the private sector and civil society, Nigeria can turn the tide on unemployment and chart a path toward sustainable economic prosperity.
Idorenyi, an intern with The Tide, is a student of Temple Gate Polytechnic
Abia State.
Biana Idorenyin
April 25 every year is World Malaria Day. It was instituted by the World Health Assembly in 2007, “to highlight the progress made in Malaria control, the ongoing challenges that persist and the urgent need for sustained investment and innovation”. This year’s theme, “Malaria Ends with Us: Reinvest, Reimagine and Reignite”, is apt considering the loss of lives incurred and money spent to treat and prevent Malaria. The theme is a clarion-call to intentionally end the malaria scourge through robust commitment of human and financial resources.
That is why one of the best policies, of the suspended Sir Siminalayi Fubara’s administration in Rivers State, was the avowed commitment to check the malaria menace and its multiplier consequences on the residents of the State, through its “Free Malaria Testing and Treatment” innovation.
Rivers State is a microcosm of Nigeria in terms of residents; thus the secularity of the State makes the programme’s beneficiary all-inclusive.
No doubt, the Rivers State Government has by this initiative reinforced value placement on the lives of the people, especially the less-privileged in the State. Residents in Rivers State can now be tested and treated free for Malaria in any Rivers State Government- owned hospitals and healthcare centres across the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State. This is a lofty and laudable programme because of the prohibitive cost of malaria drugs and conducting tests at a time majority of Nigerians hardly have a meal to eat, because of the prevailing economic hardship in the country.
Malaria and Typhoid, according to medical and health statisticians are the commonest ailments people suffer as a result of dirty environment, absence of good drainage, lack of potable water. The State Government’s Malaria programme is, therefore, not just a big financial relief but also a life-saver for the teeming poverty-ridden population of Nigeria resident in Rivers State.
According to statistics reeled out by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, “Globally, there are an estimated 249million malaria cases and 608,000 malaria deaths among 85 countries”. Such reports leave much to be desired in a nation so blessed with natural resources and manpower. This is why the Rivers State Government should be commended for defying the huge financial implications to drive the lofty programme for Nigerians and foreigners in Rivers State who are availed the privilege of accessing the largesse in all State Government health and medical facilities.
As the Rivers State Government deemed it necessary to initiate the Free Malaria Testing and Treatment programme, nothing stops the Federal Government from doing the same. But even with abounding natural and human resources in unimaginable quantity in Nigeria, Malaria programmes are either grossly underfunded, or funds for the programmes are misappropriated or embezzled with impunity.
In Nigeria, malaria is one of the leading causes of death of children under the age of six and pregnant women. Malaria is a nightmare in Nigeria so much so that price of its drugs and treatment have skyrocketed like a phoenix and outrageously outside the reach of the teeming less privileged citizens of Nigeria. The situation was so alarming that the National Assembly, in 2023 urged the Federal Government to declare Malaria an emergency in Nigeria as a matter of urgent national interest. I am not sure that has been done by the Federal Government because it seems to be in the interest of the common citizens.
Experts have recommended new approaches to fighting the malaria epidemic in Nigeria which seems to have defied continuous attempts to reduce the Malaria burden in Nigeria to zero.
According to a Senior Associate at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public.Health, Soji Adeyi, Nigeria should begin to increase internal funding.for malaria elimination.
According to him,, “Each year reliance on external funding needs to be reduced. I looked at the summary of Malaria reports from 2008 till now and what has been common is the complaint about the lack of funding. If this is a recurring problem, what should be done is to find a new approach “.
In his view, Abdu Muktar, National Coordinator of the Presidential Healthcare Initiative, called for the local production and manufacturing of medical supplies as well as reducing Nigeria’s dependence on drugs imports.
According to him, the local production of anti-malaria and.related.medication will consider.the peculiarity of the country’s terrain, population and burden and.would improve access to effective treatment.
For his part, the regional. Director of World Health Organisation (WHO), African Region, Matshiddiso Moretti, advised Nigeria to accelerate its efforts to end Malaria by relying on adequate data for the implementation of health policies.
Malaria is an epidemic more devastating than the dreaded HIV/AIDS. Malaria triggers high blood pressure and places HIV/AIDS patients on a critical condition. The Federal and sub-national governments should therefore declare Malaria an emergency and prioritise attention to its treatment, production and importation of drugs and vaccines to stem the malaria menace.
The Federal Government should also improve incentives and remuneration of medical and health workers to end their exodus abroad in droves, for greener pastures.
Igbiki Benibo
The traditional institution is as old as human society. It predates the advent of modern organised society. Before the emergence of modern justice system of dispute resolution and political system of administration, the traditional institution has existed long ago. In fact, it was so revered and regarded as sacred because of the mythological conviction that it was the “stool of the ancestors”. Consequently, judgment given was deified as many people especially the traditionalists believe it was the mind of the gods revealed. Perversion of justice , in the pre-modern justice system was alien and considered uncommon. Chiefs and traditional rulers though may not have generated knowledge formally (through the four walls of a classroom), yet they embody and exemplify knowledge. They hold fast the virtue of integrity and honour, fairness and relative impartiality, partly because they believed that the stool they occupy was ancestral and traditional as act of indiscretion can court the wrath of the gods at whose behest they are on the traditional saddle of authority.
The Compass of Life stated unequivocally that “the throne is preserved by righteousness”. Where righteousness, integrity and honesty are savoured,and valued, perversion and miscarriage of justice is an anomaly. The judgments of traditional rulers and chiefs were hardly appealed against because they were founded on objectivity, fairness, truth and facts beyond primordial sentiment and inordinate interests or pecuniary benefits. Judgments were precedent. Traditional rulers and chiefs, therefore carved a niche for themselves, earning the respect of, and endearing themselves to the heart of their subjects. Is it the same today? Some traditional rulers and chiefs are administering their communities in exile; they are diasporic leaders because they have lost the confidence of the people through self-serving, raising of cult group for self-preservation, land grabbing and other flagrant corrupt practices.
When truth is not found in the traditional institution that, in my considered view, constitutes the grassroots government, then crisis is inevitable.In most African societies before advent of the Christian Faith, and consequent Christening of the traditional stools in many communities in recent times, ascent to the traditional institution was a function of a traditional method of selection. It was believed that the gods make the selection. And whoever emerges from the divination processes eventually is crowned as the king of the people after performing the associated rituals.Whoever lacked the legitimacy to sit on the throne but wanted to take it forcefully, traditionalists believed died mysteriously or untimely. Traditional rulers wielded much influence and power because of the authority inherent in the stool, the age of the person designated for the stool notwithstanding. The word of the king was a law, embodied power. Kings so selected are forthright, accountable, transparent, men of integrity, did not speak from both sides of the mouth, could not be induced with pecuniary benefits to pervert justice, they feared the gods of their ancestors and were consecrated holistically for the purpose dictated by the pre and post coronation rituals.
Some of those crowned king were very young in those days, but they ruled the people well with the fear of the gods. There was no contention over who is qualified to sit or who is not qualified to. It was the prerogative of the gods. And it was so believed and upheld with fear.Kings were natural rulers, so they remained untouchable and could not be removed by a political government. If a king committed an offence he was arrested and prosecuted according to the provision of the law. But they have immunity from sack or being dethroned because they are not political appointees. However, the people at whose behest he became king reserved the power to remove him if found guilty of violating oath of stool. The traditional institution is actually the system of governance nearest to the people. And kings were the chief security officers of their communities. So indispensable are the roles of kings and traditional rulers to the peaceful co-existence of their people, ensuring that government policies and Programmes were seamlessly spread to the people that many people are clamouring for the inclusion of definite and specific roles in the Constitution for the traditional institution.
Traditional rulers are fathers to every member of their domain. So they are not expected to discriminate, show favouritism. By their fatherly position traditional rulers, though can not be apolitical, are also expected to be immune from partisan politics. This is because as one who presides over a great house where people of different political divide or interest belong, an open interest for a political party means ostracisation of other members of the family which could lead to disrespect, conflict of interest, wrangling and anarchy. Traditional rulers are supposed to be selfless, preferring the interest of their people above their personal interests following the consciousness that they are stewards whose emergence remains the prerogative of the people. The position is essentially for service and not for personal aggrandisement and ego massaging. So they should hold the resources of the people in trust. However, in recent past the traditional institution has suffered denigration because of unnecessary emotional attachment to political parties and political leaders. Some traditional rulers and kings have shown complete disregard to the principle of neutrality because of filthy lucre and pecuniary gains, at the expense of the stool and people they lead. Sadly some traditional rulers have been influenced to pervert justice: giving justice to the offender who is rich against the poor.
Traditional leaders should be reminded that the “throne is preserved by righteousness”, not by political chauvinism, favouritism, or materialism.Traditional rulers should earn their deserved respect from political leaders by refusing the pressure to be subservient, beggarly, sycophantic and docile. Traditional leaders have natural and permanent leadership system, unlike the political leadership that is transient and tenured.They should be partners with every administration in power and should not be tied to the apron string of past leaders whose activities are aversive to the incumbent administration and thereby constituting a clog in the development of the State and the community they are to woo infrastructure development to. It is unpardonable error for a traditional ruler to have his conscience mortgaged for benefits he gets inordinately from any government.It is necessary to encourage kings and traditional rulers to not play the roles of stooges and clowns for the privileged few, political leaders. Political leaders are products of the people, even as every government derives its legitimacy from the people.
No doubt, the roles of traditional rulers are so necessary that no political or military government can operate to their exclusion. This is why the 10th National Assembly mulled the inclusion of Traditional institution in the proposed amendment of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.Traditional rulers and chiefs should, therefore, be and seen to be truthful, forthright, bold, courageous, honest and people of integrity, not evasive, cunning, unnecessarily diplomatic and economical with truth.The time to restore the dignity of the traditional institution is now but it must be earned by the virtuous disposition of traditional rulers and chiefs.
Igbiki Benibo