The Nation Newspaper

Category: Lekan Otufodunrin

  • Celebrating Emmanuella

    Last Friday, I was the chairman of the presentation of a website and mobile app. What was remarkable about the event was not the multi-media platforms, but the web and app developer.

    The developer is nine-year-old Emmanuella Mayaki, a grade 5 student in a primary school who has bagged a Certificate in Basic Training-Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point- and Diploma in Desktop Publishing.

    She also has a certificate in Web Design, Web Development and Graphic Design in addition to several other online certificates in Information Technology skills.

    Her website, emmasacademy.com and app Emma’s ICT Academy, which she navigated to explain the various sections to the delight and amazement of the guests at the event, were indeed a confirmation of the stuff she is made of.

    Emmanuella’s mastery of the digital skills at her age is commendable and she is definitely set to make an impact in the ICT sector like other young persons in developed nations where there are enabling environments for young talents to thrive.

    Being a professional web designer and analyst at nine is no mean feat and one can only imagine how much more she will accomplish in the years ahead.  At her age, many of her age mates are still trying to comprehend what life is all about, but Emmanuella is already setting the pace for others to emulate.

    Her accomplishment is a proof of what Nigerian youths are capable of achieving if given necessary support to maximise their potential. In the present digital age, it is important that children are given the opportunity to learn early about the technology that is redefining every aspect of human existence.

    Emmanuella is lucky to have parents who are supportive of her quest for the much sought-after digital knowledge, but there are many like her yet to be discovered due to lack of necessary ICT infrastructure in public and private schools.

    Curriculum at all levels has to be reviewed to be ICT compliant if we are to compete in the global world and bridge the wide digital divide between the under-developed, developing  and developed nations.

    Just as there is no one is too young to master the use of technology, no one should be too old to update his or her knowledge. What is required is the willingness to learn by all concerned and the availability of the necessary tools.

    New technology has so much advantage that if appropriately applied it can enhance our level of development  faster, just as it can be misapplied as being done by those engaging in fraudulent practices that has given our country a bad name.

    Thumbs up again for Emmanuella and many other digital natives like her set to take the ICT world by storm.

     

  • Tears for interns

    Last Monday, I was informed as usual that a group of students from a higher institution in Lagos was waiting in the reception of our office to see me.

    They had come to seek placement for internship which is a requirement for completion Mass Communication study in Polytechnics and Universities. I could see the desperation on their faces as they waited for me to say yes to their requests when I eventually met them.

    I asked which other media house they had gone to before coming to The Nation and they named four major organizations where they had been turned back.

    I wished I could take them on and spare them the agony of wandering from one media house to the other in endless search for placement, but we already have more than enough interns in various departments in our company.

    Normally, we don’t need more than half of those we had accepted, but we had to on compassionate grounds since the students must get a media house to accept them in compliance with their school requirement, even if there are no seats for them.

    University and Polytechnic students are required to either undergo internship or the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) as part of their course of study.

    Internship placements are however hard to get unlike in past years for the simple reason that there are too many applicants for the few spaces available in, especially major media houses or major organisations, where lecturers prefer.

    Internship is a good opportunity for the students to learn practical skills, but what is the way out when media and other organisations can’t accommodate many of them.

    Even when they are accepted, they are not paid and many are turned to errand boys and girls by those who are supposed to train them.

    Media training institutions and others should be blamed for not regularly reviewing the internship programme in line with the state of the media and the sectors.

    Why send students to companies and organizations they don’t interact with to discuss matters arising from the programme over the years?

    How well are the students prepared for the reality of the media houses and organisations they have to intern in? Is there a comprehensive database to guide the students in their search?

    Are there other internship options in view of the limited spaces for interns?

    Desperate students break down crying at the gatehouse of our newspaper office when they are turned back by gatemen.

    Some unscrupulous persons even try to take advantage of some girls with the promise of helping them to get placement.

    This is not right and something urgent must be done to spare the students the agonies they are going through to get placements or be interns.

    While many companies and organisations may be going through hard times which has forced them to scale down their operations or shut down, those who can afford to should regard provision of internship opportunities as a necessary contribution to training of graduates with relevant practical skills.

    It has been noted that many graduates are not employable as they lack requisite skills, a conscious blend of the town and gown through structured internship programmes prepare the graduates better either as employees or entrepreneurs.

  • Arise o compatriots 

    I don’t get to sing the national anthem often, but when I do like I did over the weekend at a programme, it reminds me of the onerous responsibility we all owe our country.

    At times like we are going through, with all manners of crises, both contrived and natural ones, one is forced to think deeply about what the future holds for us all as citizens.

    As much as one wants to be very hopeful and wish away some of the concerns over the worrisome situation in the country, there is indeed cause to worry.

    Killings have become so common in some parts of the country that the number no longer matters.

    From Benue to Plateau, Adamawa and Zamfara, it has been one case of horrendous killing or the other.

    How do we explain the mass burial in some states when we are not fighting a civil or external war?

    The break down in law and order has almost turned our dear country into a lawless one where public officials and citizens take the laws into their hands without fear of any consequence.

    How about various cases of reported and reported kidnappings? Travelling long journeys by road has become so unsafe that the risk of being kidnapped is now very high.

    Political office holders who are supposed live up to their oath of office are too concerned about playing politics and getting re-elected even when they have not done much in their first term.

    In the midst of this confused state, I am of the opinion that we, our leaders and citizens, too, have to not only sing the national anthem when we have to, but regularly take time to reflect and meditate on the words as a constant reminder of our article of faith as a country.

    If we have to take back our country like one of the presidential aspirants is asking for, it is time for all real compatriots and patriotic citizens to arise and rescue our fatherland with love strength and faith.

    If the labours of our heroes past who fought for independence and build the foundation for the progress we have made in the past will not be in vain, we have to serve with our heart and might.

    As a nation bound in freedom based on our independence, the peace and unity of our country must be the basis of our continued existence.

    Thankfully we are a very religious country, we must not cease to as ask the God of creation to direct our noble causes which can ensure the continued development of the country in which we all have a part to play.

    We must not allow those who have evil plans to continue to have the field day at the expense of those of us who are daily working hard to keep the country together. To keep Nigeria one, like former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, said, ‘is a task that must be done.’

    Of course our leaders need all the prayers we can offer for divine guidance to decisions in the best interest of all and not based on parochial considerations.

    Our youths need to know and not allow themselves to be misled by selfish leaders who want to use them (youths) to achieve their (selfish leaders) own agenda.

    In love and honesty we must continue to grow. Living just and true in all we do.

    Great lofty heights attained, to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.

  • Wanted: True love

    For some time now, I have really been agitated by stories of spousal killings which are becoming common these days and details of some divorce cases.

    The question I have been trying hard to find answer to is how did hitherto lovebirds become sworn enemies resulting in one killing the other?

    I have always wondered what happened to the marriage vows of ‘till death do us part and to love each other in health, in sickness and whatever situation’ that some couples, even after ten, twenty years and more, opt for divorce and can’t be convinced to continue to live together by judges who always advise they resolve whatever differences they have.

    How does love suddenly turn sour?  I wondered aloud when I saw the picture of a smiling couple in the same dress, looking like inseparable soul mates in a newspaper, but the wife is currently standing trial for stabbing the husband to death.

    After twenty-five years of being married, I can confirm that marriage is not as easy as it appears to be. It is indeed a school of continuous learning and it takes a lot of effort to make it work on both sides.

    Years of courting sometimes don’t prepare many for the reality which marriage is all about.

    Two different persons, with different life experiences coming together as one with all the personal, cultural and religious perspectives; marriage is, indeed, a major undertaking.

    With the increasing cases of reported marriage breakdowns and divorces, I’m beginning to think that many who get married these days do not really understand what the institution is all about or are not sufficiently emotionally, physically and in many other ways prepared for the stormy seasons of marriage which come up for various reasons.

    Many couples don’t know themselves well enough as they claim. Even when all the signs are obvious that that they may not be compatible, intending couples lie to themselves that they have what it takes to stick together no matter what comes up. Some hide information they should disclose and while others make false claims of what and who they are not.

    Some are victims of marriage counselling based on the false notion that all will be well when the truth is that there is no perfect marriage. Even for those that appear to be working well, the couples are making a lot of sacrifice to make it work. Sometimes the sacrifice is one sided.

    A bishop who usually says he has not had the first quarrel with his wife revealed the real secret of his marriage when he said the kind of love he has for his wife is the kind that forgives ahead of any offence.

    Wives, especially, need to know that the rich guy and dashing guy of today may become a shadow of himself someday, due to situation beyond his control.

    I know there are some unforeseen circumstances but the but couples must be ready for the worst situation sometimes and have the capacity to take the best decision after exhausting all possible options for resolving their differences instead of resorting to killing.

    True love, and not any other thing, which is supposed to be the basis of marriage, requires a lot of mutual sacrifice and understanding based on the injunction of the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8:

    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

    It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

    Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

    Love never fails.

    Amos 3:3 asked the crucial question that can guarantee everlasting love: Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? No, they can’t. They have to always agree.

     

  • Why good journalism matters

    It used to be that journalism practices were largely the exclusive preserve of professional journalists who act as gatekeepers. If the media, based on professional standard and the ethics of the profession, decides that information is not good for dissemination or for any other reason, it doesn’t get published or broadcast.

    Gradually, over the years, no thanks to disruptive technologies and new media, information dissemination has almost become free for all. Virtually anyone who has a telephone or one social media platform or the other now regards himself or herself as a ‘journalist’.

    All kinds of websites and blogs have come up to compete with the traditional media in getting the attention of public on what to believe as true.

    While information sharing is not the same thing as journalism, there is a worrying dimension where the public are beginning to equate misinformation and propaganda as journalism.

    So much falsehood go viral online that even when traditional media and journalists publish what is supposed to be the truth of a matter, the gullible public are not interested.

    It is against this background that there have been concerns about the need to maintain traditional journalism standards which is needed to ensure that the public is not misinformed.

    This development must have informed the choice of the theme of the International Press institute (IPI) World Congress held in Abuja this week – Why Good Journalism Matters: Quality Media for Strong Societies.

    President Muhammadu Buhari who declared the congress open aptly stressed the importance of good journalism at a time when the channels of information eco system have become free for all.

    “In a world where the borderline between hate speech and free speech has become blurred, good journalism matters. In an environment where fake news dwarfs investigative reporting, good journalism matters. For survival in an increasingly competitive field, good journalism matters. Good journalism promotes good governance,” he said.

    Indeed, good journalism matters as we need to ensure that the principles of truth, fairness, balance and objectivity which are the hallmarks of professional media practice are adhered to by anyone who seeks to disseminate information.

    The borderline between hate speech and free speech should not be blurred as President Buhari noted. Freedom of speech or the press should be exercised with a high sense of responsibility. There is great danger when false information is disseminated as truth.

    There have been instances where unnecessary panic has resulted in crises in parts of the country based on false information.

    We need good journalism that seeks to inform, educate and entertain in accordance with the spelt out roles of the media. We need good journalism which is indeed free from any unnecessary influence, whether government, political or economic.

    It is through good journalism that we can ensure that critical issues that can guarantee development are given due attention. Issues have to be thoroughly investigated and reported in a way to cause necessary change.

    To guarantee good journalism, it is also necessary to ensure that journalists have the capacity to do their job based on training and conditions of service.

  • Wanted: Social media use policies for workers

    One way to prevent journalists from making comments that could force their media house to issue apologies like the recent case involving a senior editorial staff a newspaper is to have clearly stated social media policies.

    I have always been worried the way some of journalists carry on on social media as if they do not know that their posts and comments could rub off on the wrong side for the medium they work for.

    When journalists who are supposed to be impartial in the coverage of issues openly express partisan views on social media and brag about it, I usually wonder if they know the implication of what they are doing.

    The Vanguard editorial staff simply made a very offensive comment on a facebook post of another colleague and what followed was, not only an attack on his person, but his newspaper with calls for his sack.

    He has since apologised for the comment, but it is unfortunate that he and others who have always indulged in such abuse of the freedom allowed on the social media have learnt their lessons.

    As much as anyone could choose to express his or her opinion on any platform, it is necessary to exercise restraint in choice of words or views. Those who have no reputation or image to protect of whatever organisation they work for or represent can risk being unguarded, but not people who should know that freedom requires a high level of responsibility.

    It doesn’t matter how we feel about some issues, people must know how and where to say whatever is on their mind.

    Apart from journalists, I have in the past had to call some staff of some organisations to advise them against some posts they made on social media. As long as we work for some organisation and occupy some positions, it may be difficult to claim that what we say or do is personal and not official.

    The Vanguard case should be a wake-up call to all, not only the media, to take necessary steps to prevent a reccurrence. Every organisation needs a social media policy similar to some samples from some foreign media houses below.

    * In social media posts, our journalists must not express partisan opinions, promote political views, endorse candidates, make offensive comments or do anything else that undercuts The Times’s journalistic reputation.

    *Our journalists should be especially mindful of appearing to take sides on issues that The Times is seeking to cover objectively.

    *Assume that your professional life and your personal life merge online regardless of your care in separating them. Don’t write or post anything that would embarrass the LAT or compromise your ability to do your job.

    *You shouldn’t state your political preferences or say anything that compromises your impartiality. Don’t sound off about things in an openly partisan way. Don’t be seduced by the informality of social media into bringing the BBC into disrepute. Don’t criticise your colleagues

    *Unless given permission by CNN Management, CNN employees are to avoid taking public positions on the issues and people and organisations on which se report.

    While some of the policies may be said to be a violation of individual rights, it is critical that workers, like the BBC noted, are not seduced by the informality on social media to throw caution to the wind.

     

  • Is this Nigeria?

    Lawyer turned musician Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz the bad guy has been trending online since last week for reasons I don’t know and was not interested in knowing. The amount of information overload on social media is such that one has to choose what he or she wants to know to avoid unnecessary distractions.

    It was not until last Thursday that a colleague asked if I had heard or watched the latest song by Falz titled This is Nigeria and I said I had not. He showed me the video and after watching, it struck me why he has been subject of discussion in many circles online and offline.

    The song is a sad commentary on the situation of the country which vividly captures the breakdown of law and order in every sector of our society and the sordid situation we have found ourselves as a nation.

    The lines below from the controversial songs are indeed a true reflection of what our dear country has become:

     

    This is Nigeria [yea]

    No electricity daily oh [eh]

    Young people are still working multiple jobs

    And they talk say we lazy oh

    This is Nigeria [eh]

    There’s plenty wahala sha

    Fulani herdsmen still dey slaughter

    Carry people dey massacre

    This is Nigeria

    Bombs in my area, this is democracy

    Political hysteria

    Yahoo yahoo don tear everywhere now

    And we act like it’s so cool

    Casting the p and being castigated just for trying to be noble

    This is Nigeria, look at my nation ooh

    Sarz stop me for road, any explanation,

    You go talk am for station oh

     

    Falz reminds me of late Afrobeat, king Fela Anikulapo-Kuti  who was more of a social crusader who sang many songs to campaign against injustice in the country.

    Those in government and many others may not find the song funny. At a time we are trying to project a good image of the country and highlight the supposed dividends of democracy, Falz song underscores our motion without movement as a country.

    Falz’s song questions the promise of change, but the lyrics are truths we have to live with and urgently do something about them.

    How do we explain that indiscriminate killings and kidnappings by terrorists, herdsmen and other gangs of gunmen that has become the norm? Try as much as the security agents have, the killers have continued to have a free reign.

    More than those we get to hear about, there are many unreported cases which make some parts of the country very unsafe more than ever before.

    We are not at war, but we are having mass killings and burial. How did we get to this level of brigandage? Security men who are supposed to be law enforcement agents are the law breakers themselves.

    In an explosive reporter’s diary last week, an   investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo paid his way to Lagos and back to Abuja with a car without any required paper.  At a point, a policeman who collected N20,000 from him advised that he should claim armed robbers took his bag when he is asked for his paper at the next check point!

    Like Falz sang, This is Nigeria.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ebola: Remembering Stella Adadevoh

    Last week, I wrote about the power of influence based on the annual TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Persons edition for 2018 in which prominent and not too prominent personalities are featured for their roles in making the world a better place.

    Influence like I noted regarding the ability to make a difference and going the extra-mile to cause change in the society and not abuse of power to influence things to suit personal purpose.

    Persons who are just committed to doing what they know how to do very well, without seeking any recognition should be celebrated as role models.

    Indeed Nigeria has a long list or real change agents, not politicians, office holders and other rich persons who buy themselves awards.

    These change agents are those who had impacted our society in many ways.

    Following my piece, a reader contacted me about the need for Nigerian media to emulate the TIME magazine by drawing more attention to the exploits of many Nigerians for others to learn from and emulate.

    He specifically mentioned the late Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh who died following her contact with Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian national who brought the Ebola virus to Nigeria.

    Adadevoh, who headed the treatment team reportedly declined to discharge Sawyer despite pressure from his employers to allow the Liberian to travel to Calabar for a conference. Very much unlike what some others in her position could have done, she quarantined Sawyer, contacted relevant authorities, and ensured the provision of protective materials and Ebola educational material for the hospital staff.

    She was indeed a heroine who saved our country from what could have been a major health crisis through enforcement of medical ethics in such situation and died in the process.

    But for the excuse that the nation’s national award is not given post-humously, which may still need to be reconsidered, Adadevoh deserves a national honour even in death as a role model to be emulated by colleagues and other professionals.

    The resurgence of the Ebola crisis in DR Congo that has led to the death of many citizens is a good reminder of how lucky we are as a country to have had medical personnel like Adadevoh and other team members who by their devotion to their duties prevented the spread of the killer virus.

    One of the ways to pay tributes to Adadevoh’s memory is by ensuring that we don’t have a recurrence of Ebola in the country. All the major precautions taken in the heat of the crisis must not be forgotten by medical centers and everyone.

    Officials at boarder checkpoints and international airports in the country must be very vigilant and not compromise any requirement to ascertain the health status of anyone. We were lucky that Sawyer was properly diagnosed and stopped by Adadevoh and her team, next time we may not be.

    The anniversary of Adadevoh’s death was August 19, but for the major role she played at a crucial time in the history of our country, she deserves every accolade she can get.

  • The power of influence

    How will the world be without influential people? Influence not in terms of misuse of privileged positions or abuse of office as it is the case in many instances as we have become used to.

    No, I mean Influence as defined by Wikipedia as the capacity to have an effect (positive) on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.

    Influence regarding ability to make a difference and going the extra-mile to cause change in the society and making the world a better place.

    There is the misconception that one has to occupy one top position or the other to be an influential person, but it is not totally true. While many indulge in misuse of power to influence things to suit their own purpose, there are many others ‘ordinarily’ persons who are just committed to doing what they know how to do very well without seeking any recognition that should be celebrated as role models.

    Nigeria has a long list or real change makers, not politicians, office holders and other rich persons who buy themselves awards, but many who have impacted our society in many ways who should be regularly identified and have their stories told.

    How I wish we have a publication like the TIME Magazine’s The 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE which I always look forward to reading annually.

    Some people whose influence may not be positive as one would have wanted it are usually on the list, but I am comforted by the majority whose high degree of positive influence are captured  in the best of prose by those who know them.

    I don’t just read the special edition of the TIME Magazine, I meditate on what those featured have done and how they did it. I read, underline and re-read some major points that make the nominees stand out and wish I can call the attention of Nigerians who have similar opportunities to make the impact those written about are making, to the publication.

    Among those listed in this year’s edition is Kehinde Wiley, who according to LL Cool J, a Grammy-winning musician, “is a classically, formally trained artist who is transforming the way African-Americans are seen- going against the grain of what the world is accustomed to.”

    “ Kehinde was an MFA from Yale, but instead of using his arts to assimilate into mainstream society, he goes minorstream, creating major works that outpace that of the majority of his contemporaries,” says Cool.

    Judd, Emmy-nominated actor in his piece titled Writing Wrongs about Ronan Farrow, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey winners of the 2018 Pultizer Prize for Public Service noted that “Their phenomenal journalistic diligence, craft, care and perhaps most saliently, ability to cultivate the trust and confidence of their sources have literally transformed our society across public and private spaces”

    What about the Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, who is the youngest first female to occupy the post worldwide and is expecting her first child this year?

    “In a world that too often tells women to stay small, keep quiet- and that we can’t have both motherhood and a career-Jacinda Ardern proves how wrong and outdated those notions of womanhood are.

    “She is not just leading a country. She is changing the game. And women and girls around the world will be the better for it, Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook wrote about Ardern.

     

  • At the mercy of doctors and health workers

    Following the breakdown in negotiations between leaders of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) and federal government officials, the nationwide industrial action by at the Federal Health Institutions which started on 17th April 2018 has continued with members at the state and local government levels joining from May 9.

    According to a statement by JOHESU, the strike is expected to be absolute and no skeletal services would be offered in any of the hospitals or clinics. Management staff are not exempted from the strike as they are expected to participate fully in the strike and unit officials are to monitor the strike to ensure total compliance

    JOHESU members were urged to note that success or failure of the strike will determine whether the Government will adjust their CONHESS salary and the future of their profession or not.

    To prevent the federal government from yielding to JOHESU’s demands, which are essentially about ensuring parity with medical doctors in terms of salaries and positions that can be attained in service, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) on Thursday issued a statement threatening to go on strike.

    NMA claimed that acceding to JOHESU’s demands will amount to violating a collective agreement with them that any award to the non-medically qualified health professionals that violates the January and July agreements of 2014 shall result in the resumption of the suspended withdrawal of service.

    While the two sides continue to hold on to their guns on the matter, patience nationwide are going through unimaginable hardships. Although Consultants are doing their best to attend to some old patients, new patients are not being admitted, while those on admission are being discharged.

    As it is, Nigerians in need of medical attention who cannot afford to pay the high fees charged in private hospitals or clinics have to wait till the dispute between the doctors and other health workers is resolved.

    If JOHESU’s claim that it first gave a 21-day ultimatum, followed by another 30-days without the government responding until the strike was declared is true, the federal government should take the blame of not acting early enough to prevent the total shutdown in the health sector.

    As difficult as it may be to meet JOHESU’s demands, considering the opposition from the doctors, ignoring the health workers ultimatum and allowing the situation to degenerate to the present situation is unfortunate.

    Resolving the disagreements between the doctors and other health workers may be a tough one for the federal government, but it must be urgently done.

    The two sides must be made to realise why their position on the issues at stake is not attainable and they must also be willing to make some concessions in the interest of the ordinary Nigerians.

    I don’t understand the insistence of the doctors on not allowing for any parity with other health workers. They are undoubtedly the head of the medical team, but other workers are as important in ensuring the efficient healthcare system.

    Other health workers should be able to rise to any possible level in their line of duty and beyond as long as they are part of the medical service chain.