Category: Lekan Otufodunrin

By Lekan Otufodunrin

One of the virtual events for the celebration of my 56th birthday was a tweet chat on Media and Post-COVID-19 realities.

Like every other sector, the media has not been spared of the negative impact of the coronavirus that will definitely redefine the future of the industry.

Below are my responses to the questions during the chat along with other speakers, Editor-in-Chief of Opera News, Bayo Olupohunda and General Manager, MEGA 89.1 FM, Ejiro Umukoro and moderator, Executive Director of CEEHOPE, Betty Abbah.

Journalists as frontline actors

We are and should be proud of ourselves and colleagues who are making lots of sacrifices to keep us informed and aware of what the situation is.

Journalists have been on duty all through the lockdown and risking a lot, including being exposed to getting infected and all kinds of psychological trauma.

They have been providing comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the pandemic and other necessary insights of how people can cope. They have been helping to checkmate fake news and demystifying myths.

They have been helping to galvanize support for the needy and vulnerable in our society and keeping government on its toes to rise up to the occasion.

Our information gathering and dissemination role is so crucial and complementary to the success of the role of others involved in helping to find solutions and checkmate the spread.

 Losses incurred

Notwithstanding that we are in the frontline, our industry is one of the hardest hit. Patronage of the print, for example, has declined drastically due to the lockdown and restriction of movement. It’s more difficult to circulate the publications despite being able to move around.

Generally, the revenue from advertisement which is the main source of media revenue has reduced as only a few companies are advertising. People are accessing broadcast and online content but there is no commensurate advertising to sustain the organisations for long.

COVID-19 has become an existential threat to the survival of the media as many media executives have disclosed and lots of cost-cutting measures have been announced. They include pay cut, forced leave, the sack of journalists and shut down of some services.

Survival strategies

Our problems have always been there based on the poor economy and digital disruptions, but have been complicated by COVID-19. There is a need for an urgent review of our operations. We must admit the dire state we are and cut our losses as much as possible to enable us to continue to remain on-air, online or on the streets.

There is a need for better deployment of staff and reviewed the production process that is digital-based.

There should be better communication of the true situation to staff for them to understand why the staff strength may no longer be realistic and the sacrifices that will be required by all.

Frequency of publication and airtime may also need to be reviewed to cut the cost of production.

There may be a need to take advantage of funding support locally and internationally. The media can ask for waivers from the government on some imported materials.

Hard decisions may be taken on the mode of dissemination of content.

Opportunities

There are local and international support for the media at this time. Local and international NGOs are offering training to understand the new disease better and to help in reporting the crucial issues better.

Journalists should participate especially as there is a COVID-19 angle to every beat and this is not only about health. International Press Centre (IPC) has launched an Advisory which is a very helpful resource for journalists. It has also held webinars. There are many others available online

There are also grants for media organisations. Locally, The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism has offered support for some journalists in its network. There are relief grants and people need to study to know how to apply for them.

The quality of our content will also earn journalists some recognition now and when the crisis is over.

Lekan Otufodunrin

“Only few people care, the rest are just curious”

 

The above quote by Segun Awosanya, realtor, brand consultant and popular Human rights advocate of #EndSARs fame on April 30 really made my day. Such quotes is one of the reasons I’m glad to be on Twitter despite the sometimes toxic discussions on the platform that makes one want to stay away.

The quote is really apt for the times we are going through and requires deep reflections on the need to really care and be concerned to take necessary actions instead of just being curious when things are not going well with those around us.

There may be no research to back the assertion that only few people care, as experience may differ from person to person, but what is not in doubt is that some persons are just curious and don’t give a damn how you sort yourself out of whatever challenge you are going through.

There are those who care, but can’t help you out of your situation, but they care enough to wish they can do something. They care enough to genuinely sympathise with you and try to find who may be able to assist you. They care enough to keep checking if you have been able to get help and will be happy if you do.

To the curious ones, who may even be close to you,  your dire situation is not different from the regular stories they are used to hearing about how hard life can be for many.

They don’t think twice if they can do anything about it. They tell themselves they have enough to deal with and don’t want to be bothered. You will be lucky even if they wish you get a solution.

If they call at all, they just want an update like one of the persons who responded to the tweet said.

“They are just curious to know if you actually made it. They are just curious to know how you survived it. Not that they care.” Dem no send you like the pidgin expression for people who are mindless.

There are however instances when simply curious persons don’t know what they are doing is wrong and it will take someone else to draw their attention to the bad habit of being concerned about themselves and no one else.

More than ever before, the Coronavirus pandemic which has disrupted our lives in  ways many may not easily recover from, makes its necessary for those who can and have what it takes to really care to consciously do so.

When we wished ourselves happy new year in January, no one, not even our prophets, who usually have yearly predictions, saw COVID-19 coming.

Suddenly, the government is forced to declare a lockdown, shut all schools, ban social and religious gatherings and take many drastic actions we have never experienced.

Part of the fall outs is that the poverty in the country became obvious beyond the United Nations data of the poor being those living on less than a dollar a day. Those of us who usually hurry to work early in the morning and return late in the night have come face to face with the poor and vulnerable persons in our communities.

Palliative measures by government, individuals and organizations are not able to meet the demands across the country. In the midst of the crisis, salaries are being slashed and others are losing their jobs. Many can’t feed themselves and their families.

I watched the Managing Director of Access Bank on Friday explain the difficult decisions his management team have been forced to take which will among others include reduction of staff and the reality of what is likely to happen in many private organizations became obvious to all.

So, this is the time to really care for those who will be harder hit by the fallouts of the survival strategies of organizations. Even the federal government has already decided to implement the Oransanye’ s report on the reduction of government agencies and parastatals.

To care this time will mean we do our best to know how the crisis situation is affecting people we should know about their wellbeing and even others not really close to us and helping out if we are lucky to still be able to.

There will be need for sacrifice to share the little of we may have with others who may not be as fortune.

Definitely, the world will be a better place if we have more people who care and help in one way or the other than having too many of those who are only curious and look away.

By Lekan Otufodunrin

Why would anyone who wants to give money to people online ask them to openly reply to their post with account details?

This practice called give-away has been on before the Coronavirus crisis, with celebrities announcing that they are in a mood to give out various amounts to those they select out of the usually large of number of respondents who want to benefit from the free money.

I have always felt something was wrong with this approach where benevolence has become an open show with the world knowing who is giving and who is receiving, even when it’s just a token.

However, I got really agitated by this approach days ago when someone on Twitter and Instagram offered to support journalists in Nigeria who may be experiencing some challenges due to the COVID-19 fallouts and asked that interested beneficiaries should do the usual open submission of details.

I understand random persons not minding giving their details that will remain on the Internet that does not forget, but not journalists.

As an alternative, why not ask interested persons to follow the giver on the two platforms and they will be followed back so that they can send their details directly without others knowing?

How about adding an email to the message for those who want support to send their request to?

My advice was acknowledged but the offer ended with the list of selected beneficiaries posted on the thread. Some excited beneficiaries also shared a picture of the bank alert indicating how much they got.

Some unlucky ones hoped they will be included next time.

While I appreciate the online givers, my advice is that this open option of getting the details of the beneficiaries is not in the interest of the receivers.

They need not be subjected to the humiliation of being seen by all asking for money online when what some of them need is just a temporary support to get over the disruption of the current crisis.

With this kind of open solicitation, there is also the chance of some people who really need the support, but cherish their reputation, not sending their details.

Who knows what some mischievous persons can do with the requests for support achieved online forever someday or criminals who can utilize the account details for whatever cybercrime?

Many Nigerian are indeed desperate for support at this time of lockdown and restriction of movement, but their identity should be protected. Givers should just be satisfied with giving and not getting any unnecessary publicity if their real intention is just to give and nothing else.

I’m trying to understand why some individuals and organizations are branding their gifts, like bags of rice, to the poor and vulnerable? I know some organizations need evidence of the distribution of what they are giving to the needy for record purpose, it should not be the case that givers should  be always be followed around with camera and beneficiaries interviewed.

It’s also necessary that charity should start from home for individuals and organizations that are announcing generous support in response to the go government’s call.

Individuals and organizations should first take care of people around them, relatives, staff and members before wanting to get any acclaim for what they are giving at the state and national levels.

Receivers should also be appreciative of what they are getting and not complain unnecessarily. They need to understand that even the givers are affected by the crisis, but are just trying to help with what they have.

They also have to be orderly and not frustrate organizations and individuals giving them food items and other gifts during distribution.

Lekan Otufodunrin

 

ONE of the best things to consider doing during this lockdown or restriction of movement is going through your old book packs and documents.

I do this once in a while and I always find things that remind me of how well I have done in the past and how I have failed to maintain the momentum that could have taken me to greater heights if only I didn’t get distracted for whatever reason.

Momentum in this context is defined as the strength or force that something has when it is moving…the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes.

Last week’s decongestion exercise to get rid of materials that have overstayed their usefulness in my house was another reminder for me of the need to maximize whatever opportunities or ideas we have as we grow in life and career.

I saw some publications of projects that I abandoned when other things came up. I saw the complimentary cards of people I shouldn’t have lost touch with. I saw ideas I wanted to work on but never did.

I once launched the Young Journalists Conference and Award and got people and organizations to support us but the two programmes have not been held for years now after three editions.

I looked at the list of past participants in the conference and award and I see accomplished editors, award-winning journalists and other top media professionals.

I saw folders of the National Christian Journalists conference held twice in first two years of Journalists for Christ which we have not held again and I wondered why it has joined the list of my abandoned good initiatives.

I saw copies of newsletters that transformed careers I no longer publish which I could have moved Online if printing cost was the limiting factor.

I saw the complimentary card the current Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibajo gave me when he invited me to his office while he was a Commissioner in Lagos State to share with him the vision of Journalists for Christ.

I’m not sure I got back to him on what we discussed.

There are always reasons we could come up with why we lost momentum and didn’t build on successes recorded, but in some instances, we can’t justify our decisions. We sometimes just lost steam and gave up when we shouldn’t and moved on.

As you go through your documents, if you find things you should return to after COVID-19, please don’t hesitate.

It’s never late to get back to building on your past successes and renewing your old relationships.

While we must not be tied down to our pasts, we should move on if we must, but be sure it is not for lack of diligence and focus.

Sometimes, what we need to succeed is not starting new things, but enhancing what we have always been passionate about in a better way than we used to do them.

What I have realised is that our progress on some initiatives could be slow, but what’s important is that we should not lose momentum.

An Indian proverb states that the best time to plant a tree was years ago, but the next best time is now!

 

Lekan Otufodunrin

 

AFTER two days of staying at home to stay safe in accordance with the advice as part of measures to curb the spread of the Coronavirus in the country, I drove to the office on Wednesday to see the how well people are complying generally.

As someone who runs his own organization, I had the option of deciding whether to work from home or not and so I opted to along with my staff. Working from home may have some limitations, but the situation we are dealing with is such that requires some sacrifice and staying safe.

The recurring call to maintain social distancing is informed by the fact that the rate of infection can be slowed down if movement of persons are restricted. For a disease that may not immediately manifest any symptom, more people can easily be infected as those infected move round unknowingly infecting others.

A public service video I watched on how to curb the spread through social distancing captured the attitude everyone should adopt for the world to get over the pandemic which has claimed thousands of lives globally.

” To slow down the rate of infection, behave as if you have already contacted it. Stay home as much as possible to stay safe,” the narrator stated.

However, it doesn’t seem many people appreciate the severity of the situation judging by what I witnessed when I drove to the office and back. Although people are aware of the danger the disease pose based on what they say, which sometimes are exaggerated, no thanks to circulation of many unverified claims, the level of observance of the precautionary measures is low.

I saw many people moving around doing business as usual. I saw fully loaded vehicles and Trycles.

Markets were opened with sellers and buyers far in excess of the 25-50 limits at any gathering as directed by the state governments.

A crowd of Okada riders were at a bus stop canvassing for passengers as some others walked by with not much room to avoid body contact.

Even some government workers asked to stay home must have taken advantage of the opportunity run their private businesses.

Even without asking, I can imagine the response of some of those I saw if asked why they are not staying back home or limiting their outing.

” If I stay at home how do I make money to eat and pay for other bills,” some may justifiably say.

It occurred to me that as much as people want to stay safe, they have a compelling need to earn what they need to meet their daily expenses.

However, considering the rising cases of infection across the country from only one in Lagos and now over 65 in seven states, the government has no choice but to take necessary measures to curtail movements.

The partial lockdown in Lagos and in many states is inevitable and everyone must understand it as such and do their best to comply. People don’t have to be forced to comply with the various directives which are in the interest of all to avoid a spike in the number of cases that could warrant a total lockdown.

If we all pay attention to our personal hygiene and abide by all the other guidelines, notwithstanding the inconvenience we may experience, we should be able to put the crisis behind us soon.

This is an emergency situation, even without the government saying so and emergency measures may be required to find a lasting solution.

Kudos to Governor Babajide SanwoOlu of Lagos State and all others governors who have risen up to the occasion to put in place necessary facilities and measures.

Kudos to private organizations and companies that have been supporting the various efforts in cash and kind.

Kudos to the federal government for providing the required leadership and support.  kudos to medical personnel and other essential services workers who have been working round the clock.

 

Lekan Outfodunrin

 

 

ITS good news that the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have reached an agreement that may avert an indefinite strike by the lecturers.

Last Monday, members of the union commenced a two-week warning strike over unimplemented Memorandum of Understanding{MOU] with the current and past government officials and the directive that all lecturers must register in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to get paid their salaries.

The union was also demanding the remittance of outstanding third party deductions from salaries of its members.

Specifically with regards to the IPPIS, while the federal government insists that the enrolment of all civil servants in the IPPIS, including lecturers, will ensure transparency in payment of salaries and eliminate cases of ghost workers, ASUU has always maintained that the system is a gross violation of the autonomy of universities as enshrined in the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act 2003.

Rather than eliminate ghost workers, ASUU President, President Biodun Ogunyemi, says the IPPIS is not fraud-proof and constitutes a financial drain on the scarce resources of government.

However, after a meeting last Monday between representatives of the government and the union, there are good indications that the warning strike must have achieved its purpose and forced the government to rethink its earlier hard stance on the IPPIS. It was agreed that the proposed University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) by ASUU be integrated into IPPIS.

Though the ASUU leadership still has to discuss with its members before finally accepting the government offer, the fact both sides acknowledge that good progress was made during the meeting is a good development.

Hitherto, such meeting would have ended in a deadlock with no agreement on the major issue of disagreement. Since discussion at this meeting was said to be frank and exhaustive, it is hoped that the disagreements will be resolved once and for all.

While the federal government has good reasons to come up with a system that can regularise payment of civil servants and eliminate fraudulent practices that has led to payment of ghost workers, it is also necessary that peculiar instances of the university system be taken into consideration.

Having been granted autonomy in its operations over the years with legal provisions backing it, there will definitely be need for some concession for the universities, which is what the ASUU is demanding. Good enough, it has come up with a package that can be integrated with the IPPIS and that is what should be done instead of the federal government not willing to shift its grounds on the matter before now.

Everything possible should be done on both sides to finally agree on a workable integration that will ensure that the ultimate goal of checkmating fraud in the present payment system is eliminated. ASUU members must not expect that all its terms will be met considering how far the government has gone with enforcement of the system to other civil servants.

It’s also important that the government respects whatever agreement it reaches with the ASUU this time around on the IPPIS and other outstanding issues. Not implementing past agreements is not good for the image of the government as it makes it difficult for groups like the ASUU to doubt whatever new agreement is proposed.

ASUU’s demands over the years have had to do with lack of necessary infrastructure and resources to ensure the quality of education in our universities and the government cannot continue to pay lip service to providing a conducive learning and teaching environment for both students and the lecturers.

We cannot afford to have another national strike in our universities. Any disruption in the academic calendar will not be in the interest of students who are usually the losers in disagreements between the federal government and the union.