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Tag: Nigerian media

  • Islam in the Eyes of Nigerian Media

    Islam in the Eyes of Nigerian Media

    Preamble

    In response to a particular question coming incessantly to this column from every conceivable angle in Nigeria, yours sincerely decided to recall an article published in this column in 2007 which answers the recurring question.

    The enquirers wanted to know why Muslims and their activities are not as vivid in Nigerian media as those of their Christian counterparts. The article that served as an answer to that question goes thus:

    “Information is power. It can make or mar. An informer must be informed. He must know what information to disseminate. He must know, not only when and where to disseminate such information but also how to do it. These are the attributes that can qualify journalists as professionals in their calling.

    Journalism as a profession is not about news gathering and news reporting alone. It is also about dissemination of genuine information, transmission of valuable education and even presentation of meaningful entertainment. That is why a journalist is perceived as a professional who knows or should know something about everything in existence.  To be a thorough professional, a journalist must be knowledgeable in various fields of discipline no matter how little. For instance, a journalist cannot report space exploration without some scientific knowledge of astronomy. He cannot report war without some knowledge of weaponry and the geography of war areas as well as the social history of the involved warring groups or nations. Also, no journalist can report a religious festival without knowing some jargons of the religion in question.

    And, of course, in the process of filing his reports, a journalist must be conscious of the technical reportorial sequence to be followed. This is generally known in the profession as ‘five W’s and H’. The coded cliché here is interpreted as follows: “Who (does) What? Where? When? Why? And How?” Without practical knowledge of that sequence, a journalist cannot claim to be a professional in the practice of that noble profession.

    Thus, from whatever angle journalism is viewed, knowledge remains the main axis around which journalists’ activities rotate. In a nutshell, no charlatan can claim an enclave in that noble profession without the required knowledge.

    Prophetic Foresight

    Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had foreseen the effect and implications of positive or negative information dissemination before he implored Muslims to seek knowledge in what became one of his divinely guided prophetic saying (Hadith). This is how he put it: “Seek knowledge even if you will have to travel to as far a place as China”. He made that divinely guided statement at a time when China was known to be the farthest place from Arabia.

    Essence of Knowledge

    Nothing in the life of man is comparable to knowledge. As a matter of fact, life is worthwhile only if it is based on knowledge.

    That was why the revelation of the Qur’an started on the premise of knowledge n 610 CE. The very first chapter of that Sacred Book commenced thus: “Read in the name of your Lord who created; He created man from clots of congealed blood. Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who taught by the pen, He taught man what he (man) did not know…”.  And, to further emphasize this, the Prophet said that “knowledge is a missing substance and advised Muslims to search for it wherever they could find it”. He did not restrict such knowledge to religion. Without knowledge, there can be no right information.

    Origin of Journalism

    Contrary to the falsehood documented and disseminated by the Western world that journalism started in Germany in the 15th century, it was the Muslims who actually started journalism in Arabia about 1500 years ago. Though they did not call it journalism, it was they who started what we now call journalism through the process they followed in documenting Hadith (the prophetic tradition and rightly guided statements of Prophet Muhammad).

    In order to prevent false documentation of any fabricated statements in the name of the Prophet, some Muslim researchers took up the task of ascertaining what the Prophet actually said or did as against what some prominence-seekers were trying to attribute to him after his demise. It was a thorough investigative job voluntarily done by certain individuals to retain the authenticity of Islam. Foremost among such great researchers were  Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas’ud, Anas Bn Malik, Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisai, IbnMajah and a host of others.

    For the purpose of authenticity, these great scholars introduced what they called ‘Chain of Narration’ (Isnad). Through that Chain, they endeavoured to trace the source of every Hadith quoted and credited to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Such narrations were graded as: Sahih (indisputably genuine); Hasanun Sahihun (perfectly authentic); Hasanun (genuine); Dai‘f; Munqatiu’ (broken); Gharib (strange) Mawdu‘ (fabricated) and so forth. Thus, from the final documentation through this process, Hadith was transmitted from generation to generation just as we transmit news stories today in professional journalism.

    Without the great efforts of the above mentioned researchers, the world would have been flooded today with all sorts of fabricated expressions falsely credited to the Prophet. And such fabrications would have thrown the Muslim Ummah into total confusion even as Islam itself would have been shrouded in doubt.

    Prophetic Recognition of Information

    The very first Minister appointed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as Head of State was that of information.

    The black man called Bilal, who was charged with informing Muslims of the time of Salat by making ‘Adhan’, was the appointed Minister of Information. That shows how important information is to Islam. 

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    However, when journalism as we know it today was introduced to Nigeria in the 19th century, it was through the perception and mentality of the Christian colonial masters. Although the earliest Nigerian journalists were quick to realize the power of the Press which they used to fight for Nigerian independence, they nevertheless inherited the Christian colonial traditions which are still causing disharmony in our society today. One of such traditions is religious perception. For instance, an average Nigerian journalist does not see anything positive in Islam as a religion because he/she is blatantly ignorant of its tenets. This is not to say that journalists cannot understand Islam if given the opportunity, but the colonial orientation they inherited is such that they must not see anything good in the religion called Islam. And to ensure the effectiveness of that obnoxious indoctrination, most of Nigerian journalists who are based in the Southern part of the country were enlisted on the pay roll of various Churches. And for this reason they had to follow the dictates of those Churches by imitating the Western reportorial orientation which must paint Islam and its adherents in black colour and portray that divine religion as a hub of trouble.

    Facts in Retrospect

    For well over a century after the introduction of journalism to Nigeria, the word ISLAM and MUSLIMS were reported in Nigerian media, like in European media, as Mohammedanism and Mohammedans respectively. It took the few Muslim scholars and journalists in Europe at that time to counter that obnoxiousness which was deliberately hung on the neck of Islam before it was changed. Even as of today, and against the ethics of their profession, most Nigerian journalists take pleasure in writing or pronouncing word ‘MOSLEM’ rather than ‘MUSLIM’ knowing fully well that the earlier is derogatory to Islam and abhorrent to Muslims.

    Editorialisation

    In news reporting and even editorials of many newspapers, some journalists have ridiculously embarrassed themselves, their media outfits as well as their Muslim readers by confusing EidulAdha with Eidul-Fitr during Muslim festivals out of deliberate refusal to want to know anything about Islam. On the other hand, no Muslim journalist will ever confuse Christmas with Easter or make reference to Jesus Christ or even Christianity in a derogatory manner. It is rather shameful and ridiculous that most Southern Nigerian journalists behave as if they enjoy special immunity in freedom of expression even as they arrogantly bask in the euphoria of a non-existing monopoly of religious hysteria.

    Another instance is the seeming malicious manner in which some Southern Nigerian journalists do report the outbreak of events and occurrences in the country particularly at very sensitive times thereby compounding any problem at hand. It has virtually become a tradition particularly in the Southern axis of   Nigerian media to describe youths who engage in any disturbing activities in the north as ‘FANATICS’ or ‘FUNDAMENTALISTS’ or ‘ZEALOTS’ even before the details of whatever happened become known. And in other parts of the country, such restive youths are merely reported as militants or bandits. The implication here is that any disturbance in the Muslim dominated areas of the north must automatically cloaked in garb of Islamic religion which is criminally perceived as the breeder of fanaticism. And when the trend of such restiveness is seen as tortuous to Islamic and Muslim images, the Christo-journalists of Southern Nigeria turn their back by refusing to report the incident.

    These and other religiously insensitive reporting can be potentially dangerous for the corporate existence of this volatile country. We had witnessed crises precipitated by such insensitivity in the remote and recent past. But the big question is: why are Nigerian Muslims apathetic to media engagements?

    Muslims in Nigerian Media

    Muslims in the media generally must have good knowledge of Christianity and the culture of its adherents just as Christian journalist must know the dos and don’ts of Islam and the Muslims. Arabic is not a language meant for the Muslims alone. There are Christian Arabs who speak no language other than Arabic. And, there is no record anywhere to show that Prophet Isa (Jesus) ever spoke English which is the main language of the Bible in Nigeria today. Both Islam and Christianity came to meet us here in Nigeria. Why must we use them to destroy ourselves on the pages of newspapers or on radio and television stations?

    One of the responsibilities of the media is to ventilate a peaceful atmosphere for harmonious co-existence of the people. Thus, any educated and civilized professional journalist in Nigeria must not shirk such a fundamental responsibility at this age of internet. For the sake of our collective survival, no combative or provocative journalism should be extended to religious sphere. 

      Jihad against Corruption

    From time immemorial, man has learned through experience that it is better to prevent a disease than to cure it. One old disease which still remains young in contemporary time, despite its age, and keeps growing on the palm of man is corruption. This monstrous human ailment is like an implacable virus constantly threatening to metamorphose into full blown cancer as it eats deeply into the fabrics of its victims. Once it is allowed to so grow, its cure becomes impossible. And, coping with it in that circumstance, is like chasing a mirage.

    Corruption is a much more deadly disease than what can be fought with hand in glove. As the mother of all crimes, corruption will be better prevented from growing than to be fought after growing. Incidentally, the societal disease called corruption is not limited to embezzlement and theft of public funds. No abuse or betrayal of public privilege bears any name other than corruption. And the subjective practice of journalism in Nigeria is one of such diseases. That is why the tentacle of the corruption-fighting organs like EFCC and ICPC should be expanded and strengthened. So far, EFCC and ICPC can be called offices without authority.

     And this is casting a shadow on the acclaimed genuine intention of the government to fight corruption in Nigeria. The first boss of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was able to put up some bravado while in office because of unlimited financial resources made available to him by the then President Obasanjo for whatever agenda. When Mallam Ribadu left office, the bravado left with him and the scorching EFCC became a subject of unwarranted scrutiny.

    On the other hand, the first Chairman of ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, had to quit office when he observed that the intention of the initiators of that institution was at variance with the mode of operation put in place. And in that situation it would take a miracle to function as effectively as expected by the well-meaning section of the public. His successor, Justice Emanuel Ayoola, had to ensure that some amendment was made to the act that established ICPC before he could make up his mind to accept the job of its Chairman. The summary here is that if we must seriously fight corruption, we must seriously fund the agencies set up to face the task. Corruption is not about money alone. Neither is it limited to public office holders. Fighting the monster should therefore be a matter of national orientation which should be taught in schools. Corruption is as incurable as cancer. Concentrating on merely arresting public office holders who stole public funds alone is like scratching the skin of the monster on the surface.

    The seriousness of the government in fighting corruption will be better acknowledged in the area of prevention than that of cure. And that requires not only adequate funding but also sincere mobilization which must be done with all hands on deck now and not later. And the role of Nigerian journalists in this is unlimitedly vital.           

  • Nigerian media’s one way traffic

    SIR: The media has developed considerably in the last half a century. Composed mainly of a few news sheets during the colonial era, the transformation from a colonial press through the varied experience under the parliamentary system of government to the present height is phenomenal. Remember the Southern Nigeria Defender, West African Pilot, The Nigeria Tribune (no, not today’s Tribune); the journey for Nigerian journalists probably has no parallel in Africa. It has not been smooth, not with all the fracas with colonial police, nor even with post-colonial home administrations.

    Today the media is composed largely of newspapers which they now call hard copy, the various components of internet news which they call soft copy and most importantly the television. Such is the sophistication of news gathering and dissemination that you only need to lie on your bed holding your telephone and you will be abreast of what is happening around the globe!  Nigerians as avid ever are beneficiaries of these wonderful technologies. But the Nigerian press in particularly and vey unfortunately does not give itself enough room for flexibility and wider horizon. They seem to observe problems, all problems, from the same single angle. Today for example, the problem the press wants us to believe may adversely affect the coming elections is what they call ‘vote buying’. All attempts or acts or suspicious for vote buying is evil. Our men and women of the pen and television presenters are blissfully unaware that for every buyer, there must be a seller. If there are no sellers there will be no buyers. It is inappropriate, to say the least, to put the blame only on the politicians whose sole aim and ambition is to win elections. What of the ordinary Nigerians who want to make a living of a once and for all opportunity to merchandise what they have – the vote? My point, however repugnant to some people, is that Nigerians are the same; the seller and buyer of voting materials are enemies of our constitutional order.

    Indeed, there are even more serious obstacles on our way to achieving transparency in elections and in governance. One is encouraging, indeed drafting minors to the voting lines and making them perform adult functions, even as juveniles.

    Have we forgotten about ‘ghost workers’? These are ‘voters’ that have passed on years or decades ago and whose names are still on the ballot list or people who never existed except in the authority’s voters list.

    Again there is the Nigerian innovation to the balloting system. We call this ballot snatching or stocking in our system. I bet this is not known in many countries even in the West African sub region.

    Finally, we have recently in the current dispensation introduced alien voters into our system. This occurs when Nigerian politicians cross the border to neighbouring states or even countries to import temporary voters who have no stake whatever in our system.

    There could be more to the points listed above, but the questions is; are these other negative points not as potent as vote buying? Do they not reflect more negatively on our integrity or to put it in the current language, do they not reflect negatively on any pretence to transparency in our system?

    These are the issues that we as discerning Nigerians ought to consider together to enable us judge whether our elections or the government that emerges from them are legitimate. Vote buying is bad, but the fight against electoral sins should be more comprehensive as the system contains more heinous crimes than exchanging money for ballot papers.

    Before the CJN issue came up few days ago, the only problem being canvassed by both government and private media was vote-buying. For good or for ill, the Chief Justice of Nigeria’s alleged malfeasance has taken the front line. The policy seems to be ‘one problem at a time’. One would not be surprised if the media discovers more heinous crimes or more juicy front page news before February when Nigeria’s fate will be determined, hopefully finally.

     

    • AsiwajuDejiFasuan MON; JP Ado-Ekiti.

  • 2019: El-Rufai’s aide tasks media on peaceful election  

    Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Chancellor to Governor Nasir el-Rufai on Media and Communication, Alhaji Saidu Adamu has urged Nigerian media to play key roles in ensuring peaceful polls.

    The former information commissioner admitted that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government have made some mistakes but sought to be given chance to make positive amends.

    He said journalists played key roles in ensuring peaceful polls in 2015, while calling for ethical, balanced and well researched news reports.

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    Speaking during an interactive session with journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna state council secretariat, Adamu said, “you have roles to play to ensure we have peaceful elections in 2019. You played vital roles in 2015 for us to have this government of change. People are eager to have change but change has to come in phases. People are so worried and agitated forgetting the fact that it is gradual.”

    Adamu, who was former member of Kaduna State House of Assembly, appealed to journalists in the state to forgive them of mistakes which they may have made in the past and work with them, noting that the el-Rufai government needs the media in projecting it’s activities to the masses.

    “We need you as journalists more than you need us. Mistakes are part and parcel of us, I want us to forget the mistakes and move forward. We should forget the past and be focused on how to move forward. We are human beings we make mistakes,” he said.

    Responding to insinuations that Governor Nasir el-Rufai has failed to fulfill promises made in 2015, he disagreed, saying that promises serve as guide to the government.

    “The Chancellor said that the el-Rufai government has touched all 23 local governments of the state with development programmes, but projects are prioritized for execution based on available funds.

    “Promises are ongoing. Promises are made based on anticipation. Don’t say Governor el-Rufai made promises and failed. Promises are made as guides and when the funds are available, they are executed.

    “We prioritize projects.  There is no local government area where we didn’t do anything. We cannot do everything for everyone all the time,” he said.

     

    He admonished journalists to avoid hate speech reports, and filing news without balancing, stressing that such attitude makes them unprofessional.

  • Nigerian media ready to host IPI says spokesman

    SPOKESMAN of the International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress 2018 (IPIWoCo 2018) and Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr. Eric Osagie, has declared Nigerian media’s readiness to host the world.

    IPI World Congress 2018 holds in Abuja from June 21-23, 2018 under the theme, “Why Good Journalism Matters.”

    Speaking on the congress, Osagie said arrangements had been perfected to host journalists from across the world and showcase the country’s robust journalism.

    He said: “The IPIWoCo 2018 will affirm the indispensable role of quality media in building strong societies, showcasing investigative stories and projects that bring positive change to individuals and communities in Africa and around the world. The congress comes at a time the African continent is experiencing rapidly growing economies, turbulent political transitions and an increasingly tech-savvy population, with the media also experiencing major changes and increasingly more dynamic environment.

    “IPIWoCo 2018 promises to be a great experience as it is the fourth time the conference will be holding outside Europe or America. South Africa hosted the conference twice in 1994 and 2014, while Kenya followed suit thereafter. Nigeria now has the unique opportunity to host the world body of professionals.”

    Osagie said the congress is a rare opportunity for Nigeria to showcase its best.

    “It is an opportunity to re-brand the country, by proving to the world that Nigeria is not as bad as it is painted. It is one of the biggest tools to draw attention to not just the potentials and greatness of Africa’s most populous nation, but to also demonstrate that Nigeria remains the leader in Africa,” he said.

    The spokesman said the Chairman of Local Organising Committee of the IPI Congress 2018, Mr. Nduka Obaiegbena, who is also chairman and publisher of Thisday newspapers, and members of the committee have been going round the country to sensitise government and corporate partners on the need to key into the global event.

    Confirmed speakers expected at the IPIWoCo 2018 include: Virginia Pérez Alonso, Editor-in-Chief, Público, Spain; Anas Aremeyaw Anas, famous undercover reporter, Tiger Eye Foundation, Ghana; Joan Chirwa, Editor-in-Chief, The Mast, Zambia; John Daniszewski, Vice President, Standards, Editor at Large, The Associated Press, USA; Funke Egbemode, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Nigeria; and Michael Slackman, International Editor, The New York Times, USA.

    Others are Roukaya Kasenally, CEO, African Media Initiative (AMI); Rafael Marques de Morais, Founder and Director, Maka Angola, Angola; Tom Mshindi, Editor-in-Chief, Nation Media Group PLC, Kenya; Trevor Ncube, Chairman, Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), Zimbabwe; Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher, Premium Times, Nigeria; and Mostefa Souag, Acting Director General, Al-Jazeera Media Network, Qatar.

    President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to deliver the opening address at the IPIWoCo 2018.

    There will be an IPI Africa Media Forum, featuring invaluable insight from top media professionals, experts and thinkers from Nigeria and the rest of Africa on the future of a rapidly changing continent.

    The IPI World Congress is hosted by a large group of influential Nigerian publishers and editors from leading media houses.

    IPI is an association of media professionals representing leading digital, print and broadcast news outlets in more than 120 countries.

    IPI, with headquarter in Vienna, Austria, was established in October 1950, in the aftermath of the Second World War, with an initial 34 leading editors from 16 countries, who met at Columbia University in New York City.

    They united in the conviction that a free media would contribute to a better and more peaceful world. They also agreed to form a global organisation dedicated to promoting and protecting press freedom and improving the practices of journalism, thus, IPI was born.

     

  • Army commends media over Boko Haram reportage

    Army commends media over Boko Haram reportage

    The Nigerian Army on Monday commended the Nigerian media for its objectivity in the coverage of the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.

    The commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information, Col. John Agim, made the commendation while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.

    Agim said that the media had played great role in disseminating accurate information to Nigerians on the successes recorded by the military on the operations against Boko Haram.

    “I think that the Nigerian media has lived up to expectation in keeping Nigerians abreast on the military operations in the North-East.

    “When we arrived Maiduguri we were surprised that there is peace everywhere, contrary to the belief in many areas.

    “I think that the media has a lot of job to do in letting Nigerians and the whole world know that peace has returned here, because outside there many people do not know,” he said.

    Ajim added that genuine investors would return to the state when they became aware of the restoration of peace to the troubled zone.

    The commander, who led members of the Senior Course on Strategic Communication of the school on tour of the state, said the visit was aimed at getting first-hand information on the military operations in the state.

    “The Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information is the one that drives the information sector of the Nigerian Army.

    “For the course to achieve its aim we need to be on ground in one of the areas the army is carrying out operations to get first-hand information,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team also paid courtesy visits to Gov.Kashim Shettima and the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai.

  • Hijrah and Nigerian media

    Hijrah and Nigerian media

    Information is power. It can make or mar. An informer must be informed. He must know what information to disseminate. He must know, not only when and where to disseminate such information but also why and how to do it. These are the qualities that make trained journalists professionals in their calling.

    Journalism as a profession is not about news gathering and news reporting alone. It is also about education dissemination as well as entertainment all of which require common sense. That is why a journalist is perceived as a professional who knows or should know something about everything.

    To be a thorough professional, a journalist must be familiar with virtually all the temporal and spiritual spheres of life. He cannot report space exploration without some scientific knowledge of astronomy. He cannot report agriculture without some knowledge of soil, plants, rainfall, aquatics and even husbandry. Neither can he report war without some knowledge of weaponry and the geography of the war areas as well as the sociological and political history of the involved warring groups. No journalist of worth can report a religious festival or service without knowing some terms relating to the norms and regulations of the religion in question. That is why media establishments often earmark certain beats for effective coverage.

    And, of course, in the process of filing his/her reports, a journalist must be conscious of the technical sequence to be followed. This is generally known in the profession as the ‘five W’s plus H’. The coded cliché here is interpreted as follows: “Who (does) what? Where? When? Why? And How?” Without practical knowledge of that sequence, a journalist cannot be worth his professional status.

    From whatever angle journalism is viewed, knowledge remains the main axis around which journalists’ activities rotate. No ignorant person should have any business with that noble profession to which yours sincerely fortunately and proudly belongs.

    It is, however, unfortunate, these days, that the conduct of some Nigerian media practitioners constitutes an embarrassing nuisance to the well informed Nigerian public as much as it does to those practitioners themselves. Most Nigerian journalists of the present generation seem to be more preoccupied by pecuniary gain than the value of their profession, an indication that journalism has seriously deteriorated in Nigeria. And this seems to be a justification for the notion of ‘BROWN ENVELOPE’ often attributed to Nigerian journalists by the public. A typical example is last Tuesday’s editorial opinion of a supposed front line newspaper in the Southwest of Nigeria, which expectedly exhibited blatant ignorance about Hijrah calendar even perhaps to the embarrassment of the publishers of that newspaper.

    In its rambling official opinion called editorial, the paper threw knowledge and decency to the winds as it shamelessly promoted religious bigotry to the front burner. And in its attempt to vilify the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, for declaring a public holiday for Hijrah in his State, albeit constitutionally, the so-called editorial displayed so much ignorance that it could not even spell the words Hijrah and Muhammad correctly as it kept repeating ‘Hejira’ and ‘Muhammed’ which came to remind us of the anachronistic media style of deliberately denigrating Islam during the colonial era. In the glorious days of journalism in Nigeria, misspelling a person’s name or that of a place in the course of reporting was enough reason to sack a journalist. But this is no longer the case as journalism has virtually become a matter of cash and carry.

    While basking in the usual euphoria of ignorance and fanaticism, the paper forgot that the world is now a global village where no charlatan can take the public for a ride any longer by dishing out obsolete garbage in the name of information and expect such garbage to be swallowed hook, line and sinker . The Nigerian reading public has outgrown that stage and has become much more informed about the happenings around the world than any parochial journalist or newspaper would vaingloriously want them to believe. The claim in that grossly uninformed and parochial editorial that countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar and Turkey do not declare public holiday for Hijrah is not only a shameless lie but also a glaring evidence of blatant ignorance on the part of the paper as well as its employed journalists. On the contrary, all of those mentioned countries do not only declare public holiday for Hijrah with reverence as a religious tradition, they also celebrate it with fanfare. This may be verified on the internet or through their embassies in Nigeria.

    And even if those countries do not declare any holiday at all for Hijrah celebration is that a logical justification for the fanatical newspaper to write a garbage in the name of editorial as a way of preventing Nigerian Muslims from getting justice which had long been denied to them? Who says the yardstick for practising Islam in Nigeria is domiciled in Saudi Arabia or Turkey?

    And in a bid to justify its vilification of Ogbeni Aregbesola, the newspaper rhetorically cited the example of the late Ziaul Haqqi of Pakistan who it accused of turning secular Pakistan into an Islamic State. But rather than going that far to cite an example of a perceived religious lopsidedness, one would have expected an informed newspaper to cite a closer and more relevant Nigerian example of when General Yakubau Gowon (a Christian), as Head of State, unilaterally declared Saturday as national public holiday in 1972 on the demand of a Christian denomination (the Seventh Day Adventists), without any protest from the Muslims. After all, before that time, Nigeria was a six working day country though Saturday was half work day.

    For 99 years of the colonial rule (1861 to 1960) Nigerian Muslims, especially those of the south, were never granted any holiday for any festival be it Eidul Fitr or Eidul Adha. It was the late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who, after becoming the Prime Minister, declared a national public holiday for both Muslim festivals and gave Nigerian Muslims a sense of justice for the first time. Today, while Nigerian Christians enjoy a minimum of 108 days (Saturdays and Sundays) of public holiday in the 54 weeks of the year, the Muslims enjoy nothing and they are not complaining. Yet, the only time that public holiday is being granted them for Hijrah as a matter of right in a state, a section of Nigerian media is characteristically but fanatically challenging it in a way of adding to religious tension in the land through unnecessary media bullying and intimidation.

    One conspicuous fact about religion in Nigeria which Nigerian media have deliberately and consistently refused to acknowledge is that Nigerian Muslims neither make frivolous religious demands nor unnecessarily oppose the demand of their Christian counterparts. If anything is responsible for religious tension in Nigeria it is provocation (as championed by Nigerian media) and not intolerance often hypocritically claimed by the same Nigerian media. This is the time to let it be known that an unjust status quo cannot be maintained indefinitely. That was the spirit behind fighting for Nigerian independence. And that same spirit cannot be killed in other matters of injustice.

    In journalism, the general norm is that ‘when you are in doubt (on an issue), leave out’. This is to save the practitioners any embarrassment which public exhibition of ignorance may cause for them. In writing its deceptive editorial, the concerned paper did not consider that ethical norm. The ‘Message’ hereby challenges the newspaper in reference to show evidence of its claim on the cited examples in its misinforming editorial. Yours sincerely studied and lived in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia just as I traversed the entire Arab countries (23 of them) plus Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in series of journeys until I became familiar with their traditions as well as their systems of governance, especially as I speak Arabic language. And I do not know anyone of those countries that does not celebrate Hijrah year with public holiday. So, where did the paper get its published fabrication?

    As far back as over 1,000 years ago, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had foreseen the likelihood of this kind of misinformation and deliberate falsification of facts which was why he recommended the permanent notion of seeking knowledge to the Muslims by saying: “Seek knowledge even if you will have to travel to China”. At that time, China was known to be the farthest place from Arabia where the Prophet resided. Nothing in the life of man is comparable to knowledge. As a matter of fact, life can only be deemed worthwhile if it is based on knowledge.

    Perhaps that was why the message of Islam through the revelation of the Qur’an started on the premise of knowledge. The very first chapter of that Sacred Book commenced thus: “Read in the name of your Lord who created; He created man from clots of congealed blood. Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who taught by the pen. He taught man what he (man) did not know…” And, to further emphasise this, the Prophet said that “knowledge is missing, Muslims should search for it and pick it wherever they can find it”. He did not restrict such knowledge to religion neither did he exclude religion in it.

    In the same editorial, a pointed question was raised about the person of Aregbesola vis a vis the declared holiday thus: “what is the interest of Aregbesola? The newspaper may wish to know that the same interest which prompted General Yakubu Gowon in 1972, to declare Saturday a national public holiday with fiat in favour of a Christian denomination is that of Aregbesola in 2012. That interest may be justice which has all along been denied to Nigerian Muslims.

    For the information of the uniformed writer of that controversial editorial and any other Nigerian journalist, the new Islamic year begins on the first day of the month of Muharram which is the first of the 12 months in the Islamic calendar. The other months are: Safar; Rabi‘ul Awwal; Rabi‘ut-Thani; Jumadal ‘Ula; Jumadat-Thaniyah; Rajab; Sha‘aban; Ramadan; Shawwal; Dhul Qa‘adah; and Dhul Hijjah. Each of these months contains either 30 or 29 days.

    The first day of Muharram is celebrated every Hijrah year by all Muslims throughout the world not only as a commemoration of the great success of Islamic religion but also as a token of rejuvenation of faith, peaceful co-existence, love and humility to which all Muslims are expected to sincerely adhere.

    It must be recalled that this calendar came into existence in commemoration of the inspired bravery and humility of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who, under the guidance of Allah, brought a revolution called Islam into the world at a time when the world was adrift almost uncontrollably with ungodly human activities. The Prophet’s emigration from the evil machinations of Makkah to the spiritual serenity of Madinah in 622 C. E was the catalyst for the success of Islam as a revolution. That historic adventure thus marked the beginning of Islamic calendar which now serves as a good reminder of what the religion of Islam demands from an average Muslim.

    Basically Hijrah institutionalised three important aspects of Muslim life: social, economic and political in addition to spirituality. In the social sphere, when the first revelation came to the Prophet (SAW) a period of twelve (12) years was devoted by him to inculcating religion in the minds of individuals while no pattern of a collective life based on true religious concepts could yet be presented to the world. The status of the Muslim individuals in Makkah thus gave rise to the general misconception that Islam was only a personal affair which pertained to the hereafter and had nothing to do with any collective life here on earth.

    It was only after Hijrah that people began to see clearly that Islam was a total way of life which pays attention to and reforms every facet of human existence as it began to give directions regarding virtually every moment of one’s conscious time. Hijrah also enabled the Arabs in particular, to see what a Muslim house-hold should be in a Muslim society. Hence, it was only after this great event that the world could see the aspect of social decency and decorum encapsulated in Islam.

    The second reason for the importance of Hijrah is its economic aspect. The economic effects were due to the permanent emigration to Madinah by the earliest Muslims. The matchless hospitality of the people of Madinah towards the Muslims immigrants did not only provide a new peaceful home for the newcomers, but also showed the hosts’ passionate self-sacrifice. And with Hijrah, the immigrants vividly came in contact with agriculture and artisan-ship resulting in an economic revolution for the place. Thus, it was only after Hijrah that agriculture, industry and trade freely helped the Muslims to bring about an integrated, balanced and unfettered economy for the Ummah. And, as a result, every one of them adopted legitimate means of righteous earning without having to depend on anybody again.

    The third reason which made Hijrah a very important event is the political freedom for the Muslims. Before Hijrah the Muslims had no say in any matter, internal or external. They were considered a minority against whom the hearts of the majority were full of enmity as they (the Muslims) were an insignificant part of a set of dominating unbelievers in Makkah. It was Hijrah that made the Muslims Masters of their internal affairs, external relations and matters relating to war and peace. There was great understanding among the Muslims. For instance, in the case of any difference that might occur between them and non-Muslims the final decision was to be made by the Prophet. This showed an autonomous set up of a Muslim Ummah just emerging. And this was the beginning of a city-state which, within ten years during the life time of Prophet Muhammad expanded to the entire Arabian Peninsula and from there to the rest of the world. Today, with a population of about 1.7 billion Muslims in the world, Islam has come to stay despite the wreath of thorns being frequently put on its way.