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The late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo once described journalists as the floatsam and jetsam of society when he was asked about his experience as a journalist with The Nigerian Worker long before his famous 1944 sojourn to the UK to study law.

Journalism all over the world is the easiest profession to enter. It is open to all professionals who either have a flair for speaking or writing. The idea of studying journalism in the University is a relatively recent one and it emanated from the United States in the 1960’s which later spread to all parts of the globe.

Tolu Ogunlesi didn’t initially set out to become a journalist as his first degree was in Pharmacy at the University of Ibadan. He later followed it up with a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. His first job was in Accenture before he caught the journalistic bug which is highly addictive and landed a job at the now defunct Next Newspapers as its pioneer Features Editor.

It was at Next which had a knack for investigative journalism that his talent greatly blossomed as he won numerous awards for his earth shaking stories among which was the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award. He later won the prestigious award for the second time when he was the West Africa Editor of The Africa Report Magazine.

He took advantage of the social media and built a massive followership on Twitter where he freely aired his views on politics, business and culture. He later wrote a widely followed column in Punch on Mondays. He was a role model to many young journalists and was a poster boy for the best of Nigerian journalism.

Having paid his dues in the profession he was tapped by the Buhari media campaign organization in 2015 to be part of the media team and I remember a scathing article he wrote in the London based Economist Magazine which was highly critical of the then Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration.

When he accepted the offer to be a Digital Media Aide to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, I knew that he would come out with a bloodied nose and go the way of former brilliant journalists who couldn’t resist the lure of public office. One wonders why he accepted the appointment in the first place as if he couldn’t read and comprehend the signs. It took Buhari close to six months to constitute his cabinet and the names were mostly made up of recycled political jobbers. It was clear at the end of 2015 that Buhari had nothing to offer. Couldn’t he have politely rejected the offer?

In 2018, he was quoted to have said this in response to the criticism by a section of Nigerians who criticized his meeting with controversial British Super Model, Naomi Campbell.

 “Naomi Campbell met Nelson Mandela more than once. He hugged her, called her his “honorary granddaughter”. She visits Nigeria for a fashion festival and meets President @MBuhari, and some of you animals are slandering her,” Tolu Ogunlesi said on Twitter Friday, and further emphasised that: “YOU’RE RAVING MAD WITH NOBODY TO TELL YOU.”

The zenith of his complete removal from reality came when he had a recent interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo. He was asked a simple question whether he supported the Twitter ban. He stuttered like a Caucasian trying to learn Igbo and it was so bad that Madowo asked him to either say a Yes or No to which he faltered the more.

It has elicited reactions from many of his now estranged colleagues like Fisayo Soyombo, the popular investigative journalist, Rufai Oseni of Arise News and even Reno Omokri who once held his position under Jonathan. Nigerians watched the shaming and humbling of one of its brightest journalism stars by a foreign news network not known to be too friendly to Africans.

The major challenge of journalists in Nigeria is balancing their public interest work and meeting their financial obligations. The hunger in their bellies makes them see the profession as a mere stepping stone to some juicy political appointment or a corporate job. It is seen as a mere stop gap and many journalists have an inferiority complex which make them grovel before the policy makers rather than effectively holding them to account or speaking the truth to them.

How can we salvage this noble profession so that the best and brightest are not poached by politicians who have nothing to offer? How can we reduce the best brains here from being reduced to nonentities because of ‘stomach infrastructure?’ How can we stop future Tolu Ogunlesi’s from being the mouth pieces for anti-people policies?

The media all over the world is going through a rough patch as a result of the twin incursion of the internet and new media. The duopoly of Google and Facebook has cornered a substantial portion of the advertising market leaving the rest to scramble for crumbs. There are massive layoffs and the conversion of some full time members of staff into freelancers.

Despite the media challenges, there is still the demand for good journalism as the Press will forever remain the Fourth Estate of the Realm. Nigerian journalists should think beyond chasing fading brown envelopes and hustling for declining adverts to taking advantage of the gargantuan global opportunities that the internet offers. Nothing stops a journalist who is an authority in a particular beat or who is popular from getting lucrative paid speaking gigs abroad especially in the United States which is the world’s largest market for speaking engagements. They could engage the services of an agent who will do all the sourcing and ground work for them. The Co Founder and CEO of Red Media Africa, Adebola Williams once had a speaking tour of some Ivy League Universities some years ago. Nothing stops our journalists from following suit. Amazon and Barnes and Noble have democratized the publishing industry. Nothing stops them from writing books on issues of global interest to a foreign audience that will pay for their oeuvres. Media owners can also give a share of the advertising revenue to journalists whose work attracts a huge audience to their platforms as a way of encouraging them to put in their best. Journalists should also be more entrepreneurial and adventurous and can do what they quartet of Dele Giwa, Dan Agbese, Yakubu Mohammed and Ray Ekpu did in 1984 with the formation of News watch Magazine. There are numerous grants that can be obtained from international donor agencies to support their work. Many media houses in the west have gone under a paywall either the complete or freemium model. The likes of the New York Times, Washington Post, Economist, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal etc are the leaders of the pack. Locally, Business Day and Stears Business have adopted it. Stears Business a barely four year old publication was able to attract a $600,000 investment which enabled them transit from giving out their information free to putting it under a paywall and damning the advertisers. Journalists can learn this new model.

Somebody must be a media aide to a public office holder but we hope that there will be that courage to either say no or to walk away after saying yes so that we do not have a recurring decimal of clones of the tragic Tolu Ogunlesi.

 

Tony Ademiluyi is the Co Founder of The Vent Republic wrote from Lagos; he can be reached on anthonyademiluyi@yahoo.com and 08167677075. 

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said Nigeria was facing politically motivated killings across the country, while vowing that the government would strive to eliminate all forms of violent crimes.

The president said this in Kaduna State adding that his administration would continue to do everything within the ambit of law to stamp out heinous crimes, creating fears among the citizenry.

He gave the assurance during the Passing Out Parade of 68 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

The president said, “As you’re aware, our beloved nation Nigeria, is facing many security challenges at this period.

“We continue to face security threats and violent crimes such as insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and politically motivated killings which threaten our national integration.

“It’s pertinent to state in this regard that we have received new equipment in our fight against any form of insecurity from our friendly countries.”

Buhari said that the assets would be deployed to accelerate the fight against insecurity in all parts of the country.

“It’s against this backdrop that we introduced a new Landing Ship Tank early this year to replace the first set of naval ship tanks which were decommissioned by the Nigerian Navy.

“The introduction of the Landing Ship Tank is expected to bolster the Navy’s Sealift capability and promote our global maritime commerce.

“The action will also bolster peace and safety within the Gulf of Guinea and our maritime neighbourhood,” the president said.

 

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Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said that zoning of political offices to any part of the country is actually not the country’s problem.

Ortom made the remarks while answering questions from journalists in Makurdi shortly after he returned from his party’s meeting in Abuja.

The governor stated that President Muhammadu Buhari emerged in 2015 as a result of the zoning arrangement but the country had not gained anything from his administration despite the zoning.

He said, “Is zoning the problem of Nigeria? I have always said that zoning is good but it’s the cause of the marginalisation of our people and the cause of the poverty. Beyond that, America where we borrowed the presidential system of government from, you will recall that they don’t do zoning. George Bush was president of America. At a point, two of his sons were governors and one of his sons became president of that country.

“So, it doesn’t matter. You look for the best and that is where we are getting to 20 years after this current experience. Some of us are also looking at where we will look for credibility. We will be objective to get somebody who will lead us at the party level and even at the presidential level. I think this is the thinking of all Nigerians.”

The governor recalled that arising from the recent challenge occasioned by divergent views of governors from southern and northern parts of the country, Nigerians are saying, that zoning isn’t the problem of the country.

He added, “We should look for the best, somebody who can deliver. Yes, from Goodluck Jonathan, we zoned to the north and President Buhari is there, are we getting the dividends of democracy? Has the country been secured? Have we been able to improve on the economy of this country? Have we been able to improve in education or in infrastructure? That is the problem.

“So, you just find zoning and do micro zoning and go to look for a stooge who doesn’t have much to add value to the development of the country. But I think that nobody is against what we have done.

“Yes, we (the Peoples Democratic Party) made some mistakes in the past until 2015. But now, PDP has apologised and we are willing to move forward from there.”

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A Yoruba Group, Voice of Reason Advocacy for Social Development Foundation, VOR, has launched a grassroots campaign to sensitise the Yoruba people to the need to unanimously support the campaign for the abolition of 1999 Constitution of Nigeria to pave way for a regional referendum.

The group, comprising of accomplished Yoruba Elders in the medical, academics, law, media, public relations, finance, public administration, accounting and Information Technology, said it initiated the move to let the Yoruba people know that the major factor responsible for under-development and bad governance in Yorubaland is the 1999 Constitution which they described as fraudulent.

To actualise its vision, the group said it is sponsoring radio jingles in frontline radio stations in Ibadan, Oyo State, to pilot its mobilisation drive.

Also, VOR said in preparation for a million-man consultative forum scheduled to hold in Ibadan, it launched a registration portal requesting the formal and informal sectors in Oyo State to register for participation.

In a statement by a member of VOR sub-committee on Mass Mobilisation, Dr. Seyi Roberts, the group said VOR is committed towards ensuring that the masses are actively carried along in the struggle for the restoration of Yoruba Nationhood which he said “must begin with the abolition of Military Imposed and fraudulent 1999 Constitution that breeds poverty, under-development, poverty, starvation, corruption and gross mis-governance.”

Aside the ongoing Radio Campaign in Ibadan, VOR said it has erected banners and bill boards in all strategic locations in the ancient city, urging the people to register to support the #End1999Constitution.

One of the billboards was placed along Lagos-Ibadan express way, inward Ibadan, after Guru Maraji. Two banners were also sighted opposite the Ancient Mapo Hall, Ibadan while some banners were sighted in the popular Iwo Road of the ancient city and directly opposite the Premier University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

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A Yoruba Group, Voice of Reason Advocacy for Social Development Foundation, VOR, has launched a grassroots campaign to sensitise the Yoruba people to the need to unanimously support the campaign for the abolition of 1999 Constitution of Nigeria to pave way for a regional referendum.

The group, comprising of accomplished Yoruba Elders in the medical, academics, law, media, public relations, finance, public administration, accounting and Information Technology, said it initiated the move to let the Yoruba people know that the major factor responsible for under-development and bad governance in Yorubaland is the 1999 Constitution which they described as fraudulent.

To actualise its vision, the group said it is sponsoring radio jingles in frontline radio stations in Ibadan, Oyo State, to pilot its mobilisation drive.

Also, VOR said in preparation for a million-man consultative forum scheduled to hold in Ibadan, it launched a registration portal requesting the formal and informal sectors in Oyo State to register for participation.

In a statement by a member of VOR sub-committee on Mass Mobilisation, Dr. Seyi Roberts, the group said VOR is committed towards ensuring that the masses are actively carried along in the struggle for the restoration of Yoruba Nationhood which he said “must begin with the abolition of Military Imposed and fraudulent 1999 Constitution that breeds poverty, under-development, poverty, starvation, corruption and gross mis-governance.”

Aside the ongoing Radio Campaign in Ibadan, VOR said it has erected banners and bill boards in all strategic locations in the ancient city, urging the people to register to support the #End1999Constitution.

One of the billboards was placed along Lagos-Ibadan express way, inward Ibadan, after Guru Maraji. Two banners were also sighted opposite the Ancient Mapo Hall, Ibadan while some banners were sighted in the popular Iwo Road of the ancient city and directly opposite the Premier University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

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At least 19 traders were killed by bandits who raided a weekly market at Unguwan Lalle in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Friday.

The attack also left several others injured, majority of whom are currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Sabon Birni.

File Photo

According to Daily Trust, the attack was a reprisal as there had been tension since Yan Sakai, an outlawed vigilance group killed 11 men at Mamande’s weekly market on Thursday.

Unguwan Lalle, a community located along Goronyo-Sabon Birni road, has suffered a series of bandits’ attacks in recent months.

Five soldiers who were on a rescue mission in the area were ambushed and killed by bandits few months ago.

A resident said the Friday’s attack happened during the market hours.

Unguwan Lalle market is among the popular markets in the eastern part of Sokoto state and is being patronised by traders from different parts of the state and from Zamfara, Kebbi and neighbouring Niger Republic.

However, the identities of the victims were not ascertained yet, but another source told our reporter that two biological brothers who trade in hide and skin were among those killed.

“The two brothers came to the market from the city. We just buried them at Tudun Wada cemetery in Sokoto South local government area,” our source said.

The attackers reportedly stormed the market shortly after all the traders had returned from the Juma’at congregational prayers.

“They came around 3pm, surrounded the market and started shooting sporadically.”

“I counted about 19 bodies and many were still unaccounted for,” the witness said.

Confirming the attack, member representing Sabon Birni North, Aminu Almustapha Gobir, said the whole Sabon Birni was in a mourning state over the attack.

“Sabon Birni is under siege, this is what I have been telling you people and the government is not happy about it,” he said.

Gobir, who witnessed the burial of the two brothers, noted that traders from different places were killed by the attackers.

However, the state government has blamed the traders for the attack because all rural markets in the eastern part of the state were banned as part of measures to curtail banditry.

The Commissioner for Carriers and Security Matters, Colonel Garba Moyi (rtd), stated this in an interview with our reporter.

“The state government has suspended markets in some parts of the state experiencing Banditry because these are where bandits are getting their goods.

“But some communities are not complying with this temporary measure despite the fact that it was for their own good,” he said.

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