Mr Olukorede Yishau is one of the key editors of the most prominent APC newspaper in the country.
The Nation is a key propaganda tool for the APC, where information is manipulated to protect the battered image of the failed political party in every situation.
The reason for this is not far-fetched. The paper serves the political interest of its proprietor.
Mr Yishau on Friday, October 20, 2017 wrote an open letter to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike where he attempted to misinform the public on Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) rested Overseas Scholarship Scheme.
The fundamentals of the message of Yishau were the non-payment of tuition fees and upkeep allowances of certain selected students. Yishau pleaded that the governor should ignore the messenger and care more about the message.
This is where the mischief of The Nation newspaper lies. The medium and the message cannot be divorced.
According to Wikipedia: “The medium is the message” is a phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan meaning that the form of a medium embeds itself in any message it would transmit or convey, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived”.
The Nation Newspaper works round the clock to disparage the PDP and one of the most attacked victims of the newspaper is Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. The paper has written countless baseless editorials, features and reports to mislead the public about developments in Rivers State. Therefore, there is no divorcing the medium from the message.
The facts of the RSSDA Overseas Scholarship are known to all Nigerians. The Rivers State Government discontinued the programme due to the economic realities of this era.
At the time, the immediate past administration instituted the overseas scholarship scheme, Rivers State earned between N25billion and N30billion from the Federation Account. There was enough liquidity to sustain the defunct scheme. Even at that, the immediate past administration left without meeting key financial obligations on the programme.
When Governor Wike assumed office on May 29, 2015, the administration paid debts inherited from the programme.
Payments were made by the Rivers State Government under the leadership of Governor Wike in two tranches. First the administration released N712million in July 2015 and another N485million was released by the administration in September, 2015. The payments at the time helped the then final year students to sit for their final year examinations.
The programme was reviewed in line with the financial capacity of the State Government. The State Government resolved to discontinue with the programme.
“I want to first of all let you know that the Governor, Nyesom Wike takes the education of our students very seriously. Today, we have to be realistic. We all know what is happening in Nigeria. We now have a dwindling revenue both from FAC and IGR. We all know our exchange rates.
“We are here to give a proposal to let you know that the state is committed to pay installmentally for all our final year students totalling almost 200.
“We are putting arrangements in place for students who are not in their final year to get transfer back to schools in Nigeria, especially in Rivers state with full scholarships.”
From the above, it is clear that the Rivers State Government made alternative arrangements for students not yet in their final year.
The courses affected are largely offered in Nigerian universities, especially the Rivers State University and the University of Port Harcourt. Some of the courses involved are: Law, Political Science, Economics, Philosophy, Mass Communication, Linguistics , Accounting, Business Administration, Biology etc.
Deliberate steps were taken by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike to improve facilities at the Rivers State University. Upgrade of different faculties have been attained, more courses accredited and the College of Medical Sciences approved by the National Universities Commission.
Dear Olukorede, the facts are known. The opinions motivated by political considerations are also known. Your letter to the Rivers State Governor was tainted by political goals. The type that the Rivers APC have sponsored in several advertorials, especially in The Nation. Indeed, your letter could pass for an advertorial, if not that it bears your name.
Mr Olukorede, I am sure you have heard about the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID). In case you are unaware, PRESSID was introduced by the Jonathan administration in 2012.
The Jonathan administration instituted PRESSID as part of efforts to develop a critical mass of professionals who would serve as catalysts of change and agents of scientific and technological advancement, as well as sustainable economic development.
Upon assumption of office, the APC Federal Government scrapped PRESSID, citing financial considerations. The APC Federal Government did not consult with the families of the beneficiaries, neither did they provide alternatives like the Rivers State Government has done.
Olukorede, permit me to remind you that the APC Federal Government recently exited over 100 International Organisations, many of them educational in nature. They cited financial considerations. Columnists in your newspaper and other pro-APC newspapers have worked round the clock to support these decisions of the APC Federal Government.
Your paper supports the stoppage of PRESSID on account of finance, but lampoons the Rivers State Government for taking a similar action on the politically arranged RSSDA Overseas Scholarship. Yet, you want us to consider your politically cooked message and forget about you, the APC messenger.
Even as I write this piece, I have a copy of The Nation in front of me. On the front page is a manipulated report on the APC Rivers SARs aimed at casting Governor Wike in badlight. This is a daily occurrence from The Nation. It has no regards for journalism ethics and fair-play. Every report or feature on Rivers State is written to advance the course of the paper’s second benefactor and political associate, Rotimi Amaechi.
Dear Olukorede, Governor Wike is Nigeria’s best performing governor. His projects and programmes are way beyond that of all the APC governors that The Nation hypes. Since 2015, your paper has been attacking the Rivers State government while supporting majority of APC governments that cannot pay salaries, let alone execute projects.
Olukorede, permit me to bore you a little with some of the projects executed or ongoing under the leadership of Governor Wike. They are:
- Reconstructing and repairing all bad roads/streets in the Diobu neighbourhood, Port Harcourt township, Borokiri neighbourhood, Old GRA and Abonnema wharf axis of the city, encompassing over 25 kilometres;
- Reconstructed Ogbunabali main and inner city roads;
- Reconstructed Industry road and adjoining areas;
- Dualised Nkpogu road with two bridges and street lights;
- Completed Eagle Island – Iloabuchi bypass; and
- Completed D/Line inner city road network
- Dualisation of East-West –Elelenwo-Woji road (on-going)
- Dualisation of Garrison – Trans-Amadi-Slaughter road (on-going)
- Dualisation of Eneka-Rumuapu-Rukpokwu road (completed)
- Miniorulu-Mgbuakara- Elioparanwo road (completed)
- Rumukwurushi (Oil mill) – Elelenwo- Akpajo road (on-going)
- Eliozu – Rumunduru – Oroigwe – Eligbu road/bridge ((completed)
- Rumuepirikom-Rumuolumeni road (completed)
- Rumuagholu-Airport road with spurs to Nkpolu (completed)
- Rumualogu – Alakahia road (completed)
- Igbogo – Choba road (completed)
- Ozuoba – Rumuosi – Rumuoakparali road (completed)
- Rukpokwu market junction – Aluu road (completed)
- Dualisation of Tam David West (Obiri Ikwerre) – Airport road (on-going)
- Mgbuoshimini – Nkpor road (completed)
- Sir Celestine Omehia (former SARS) road (completed)
- Rukpakwoloshi – Eligbolo road (completed)
- Dualisation of Rumukwurushi-Eneka-Igwuruta road (completed)
- Abuloma – Woji road
- Dualisation of Woji-Akpajo road/bridge (ongoing)
- Elioparanwo road (completed)
- Ozuoba – Ogbogoro-Rumuolumeni road (completed)
- RD (Nvuike) Mgbuesilary road (ongoing)
- Reconstruction of General Abacha road (ongoing)
- Reconstruction of Woji township roads (completed)
- Rehabilitation Dr. Obi Wali road (completed) and
- Repair and rehabilitation of over 20 streets under the operation zero porthole programme (completed).
- Elele Alimini community internal roads, measuring approximately 11.8 kms;
- Rumuakunde – Rumuche- Akpa-Abaka road, which connects three communities; and
- Rumuji-Ibaa-Obele-Isiokpo road, which connects some of the big communities in Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas to the State capital.
- In addition, we have almost completed the reconstruction of the Emohua General Hospital.
- Constructing the Airport-Ipo-Omademe-Ozuaha road,
- Awarded Isiokpo internal roads;
- Completed Igwuruta – Chokocho road;
- Sakpenwa-Bori Road (Ongoing)
- Kpopie-Bodo Road (Completed)
- Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity Road (Ongoing)
- Zonal Hospital , Bori
- General Hospital, Bodo
- Sandfilling/Land Reclamation, Bakana
- Land Reclamation, Abalama .
My brother, I don’t expect The Nation to change. After all, the change you joined other propagandists to sell to Nigerians has eluded them. I do not expect you to be objective, when your ownership structure is allergic to truth.
But Nigerians know the governors that are passionate about their people and about development. They know the governors who act on the premise of the greater good for the greater number. They know that Governor Wike is on top of the list of pro-people governors.
You are entitled to your concoctions, but we are also entitled to set the records straight. We understand your motivation, but the truth is that nobody will be deceived.
As we saw towards the 2015 elections, we are bound to see warped messages like this as we approach another election circle. The fixated message of The Nation on Governor Wike is degenerating from the ridiculous to the irrational.
- Nwakaudu is Governor Nyesom Wike’s Special Assistant on Electronic Media.
