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Friday Sermon: The Devil’s Rectangle 4

Published

6 years ago

November 30, 2018

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny. – Wole Soyinka

When the public’s right to know is threatened,

and when the rights of free speech and free press are at risk,

all of the other liberties we hold dear are endangered. – Christopher Dodd

The Press is the last leg of the quadrilateral called the Devil’s Rectangle; although it was intended to be a “watchdog” for the country and the last bastion of vox populi, with its functions spelt out in the Constitution, it has had difficulty fulfilling that role due to the demands of the various competing special interest groups.

“Anywhere in the world, the press has always been involved in politics, formation of public opinion, perception of images of candidates for political offices, the definition of social reality and social norms, the education, information, enlightenment and entertainment of the public, as well as the presentation and clarification of issues, values, goals and changes in culture and society.” (Lazarsfeld, P., Berelson, B., & Gaudet, H. The People’s Choice: How the Voter Makes up His Mind in a Presidential Campaign. Columbia University Press. 1948).

At various times, the press can champion causes dear to the people and even act as the vanguard of the people’s revolution. The press can be many things, for it is first and foremost a tool in the hands of it user.

Rather than singing a melody of restraint on the excesses of the political class, the Nigerian press as presently constituted has become Babel. Henry Ward Beecher said that: “The pen is the tongue of the hand; a silent utterer of words for the eye”…Our brother Akogun Tola Adeniyi listed the press among the perpetrators of the ‘culture of silence’ in Nigeria political space. “I have critically examined the factors that had kept Nigeria on her knees for this long and I have concluded that the timidity of our people, the fear in raising a voice in the face of severest oppression and deprivation and the loss of self-esteem ranked the highest in the scale of culprits.” He went on to say: “With our eyes wide open we allowed rogues, ruffians and charlatans to dictate how our lives would be run and governed. Thieves of various shades and sizes seized our common patrimony and we applauded them in mosques and churches even as they non-challantly rape all of us with unprecedented impunity.” There is no iota of doubt; the complicity of the Nigerian press is responsible for this sad state of affairs.

Journalism has become a cash and carry industry and unlike our revered journalists of old, today’s members of the press are in it for their getonity rather than for the good of the people. The press is in dalliance with the First and Second Estate of the Realm and there are no more watchdogs to hold the Executive and Legislature accountable. In a profession where revered doyens of the profession such a Uncle Sam have not changed his residence from Anthony Village in over four decades, or late Allah De who lived in his Anjorin Street, Surulere abode till he died, our modern day Press Barons live and hobnob with the powers that be in Asokoro, Parkview and the like. Many even ride exotic cars which were once the exclusive preserve of captains of commerce and industry: All these, from proceeds of political blackmail; ‘his master’s voice’ and running of stories favourable to the establishment. The Nigerian press has become an enemy of the Nigerian people. They eulogise and celebrate plunderers of our patrimony, offer spurious defence for pen-robbers who presumably have paid tithes at the altar of the press lords; they justify high-wire corruption and chastise the government for going after their corrupt pipers. Imagine the quantum of monies doled out to them through their so-called representatives during the last ‘gold rush’ under the embattled National Security Adviser. And it is possible the sponsors of national discord are still paying. To all intents and purposes, most of our celebrated journalists have gone rogue. The Joses, Odunewus, Enahoros would be turning in their graves.

Those members of the profession who fought on the barricades in the NADECO years or the ‘war against corruption in the terminal stage of the Gowon regime; will be looking at this period with shame. This is not the press they bequeathed to us. Today, there are no more ombudsmen, investigative reporters, no diligent expose, no in-depth analysis of issues and no crack team of guerrilla journalists: Welcome to the age of pre-paid stories and reports!

Even in the age of online newspapers, many are poorly managed and sloppy in rendition with monumental mistakes that would shame a fresh student of NIJ. Headlines are routinely cast with mediocrity; the age-old sub editing of stories is a thing of the past and pictures don’t often match the stories and often at times wrongly captioned. Poor site administrators; they repeat dead stories which often nauseate readers.

The Audited Circulation of all the newspapers today is not up to the circulation of the old Lagos Weekend in the 70s. In the 1970s the Daily Times dominated the Nigerian publishing industry with 13 related papers and magazines. By 1975 the Daily Times had grown to a circulation of 275,000 copies while the Sunday Times reached 400,000. No other Nigerian newspaper has achieved such levels apart from MKO Abiola’s Daily Concord in the early 1990s which chalked up 100,000. At that time, when the press talk, people listen. They were communicating; that dyadic relationship was maintained. Today, like William Hachten wrote in his epic book, ‘Muffled Drums; The News Media in Africa, ‘when the communicator no longer reaches the audience, then nobody is talking’.

The decline in newspaper circulation is a worldwide phenomenon not peculiar to this clime. Some of the falls have been spectacular. In the UK the Daily Mirror has suffered a sales plunge from 2,777,501 to 562,000; the paper once did 5,000,000. The best-selling daily, the Sun, dropped to 1,450,000, from 3,500,000.

Again, it is clear that as individualism became more prevalent in society, certainly by the 1990s, the old forms of broadcasting media began to break up, allowing people wide choice of TV and radio and, eventually, infinite choice through the computer terminal.

With circulation of newspapers at an abysmal level and a general dearth of newsmagazines on the newsstand people are getting less informed and the space which was once occupied by the traditional press has been usurped by the iniquitous ‘social media’; a medium worse than what late Chris Okotie of Newbreed termed ‘witchcraft journalism’; purveyors of outlandish fake news, photoshopped illustrations, misrepresentation of facts including outright fabrications and posting of irrelevant stories; not to talk of propaganda of Goebellian proportion. Unfortunately, otherwise rational and intelligent social media users are taken in and swallow the gibberish hook line and sinker; turning them into educated illiterates overnight.

The overwhelming majority of journalists believe the internet is to blame for the dwindling fortune of the printed media, plus the growing availability of information through mobile phones. That, at least, makes sense. But it cannot be the definitive reason because the gradual, but inexorable, circulation decline predated the widespread use of the net through the extension of broadband.

Over the past decade there has been an observable drop in the quality of the Nigerian popular press, which has adopted the worst features of the London tabloids: Enormous headlines, the systematic quest for scandal, stories invented from start to finish and flagrant attacks on people’s person and privacy. Today, many of the dramatis personae in the orgy of yellow journalism have closed shop and litter the dustbin of history.

Ownership of the mass media in Nigeria tends to determine how they are used for political communications in the country. Other factors, such as ethnicity, religion, literacy, language of communication, legal limitations, political and socio-economic conditions, are also considered. However, the fact of ownership is not only the key which determines how the mass media are used for molding the citizen’s perception of political reality in the country, but that it is also a more precise means of understanding and investigating the role of the press in political stability or instability, national integration or disintegration.

We might conclude that as Nigeria approaches another crossroad in its march for sustained democracy in socio-economic conditions which are less propitious, there is a need for the Nigerian mass media to operate in a way which contributes to national integration: That is if they are not already compromised.

Subhana Rabbika Rabbil ‘izzati ‘amma yasifun. Wa salamun ‘alal-Mursalin. Wal hamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘alamun. “Thy Lord is Holy and clear of all that is alleged against Him (by the non-believers); and He is Exalted. May God’s blessing be upon all Messengers. All praise truly belongs to Allah Who is the Sustainer of all the worlds.”

Barka Juma’at and Happy weekend

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There’s Ongoing Cold War Between Dangote and Tinubu Govt, Dele Momodu Reveals

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Veteran journalist and Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Aare Dele Momodu, has revealed that there is a cold war presently going on between richest man in Africa and the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government of Nigeria.

Momodu made the revelation while answer questions as a guest on News Central Television on Thursday.

He said: “I am not an expert in petroleum, but I am an expert in conspiracy theory, and I believe that there’s an ongoing cold war between Aliko Dangote and the Tinubu government; that one I’m very convinced about.

“It’s unfortunate that we get personal in Africa, especially in Nigeria, and they are getting personal with him. If he was in their good books, it wouldn’t matter whether what they are saying is true or not. And it’s very dangerous for a government to be vindictive; very dangerous. Because right now, I cannot how investors, whether foreign or local would want to invest in Nigeria.

“In fact, with what Aliko said, that has really damaged our investment opportunities; that people warned him against investing in Nigeria.”

Recall that in the past few weeks, the Federal Government agencies including the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) have been having a running battle with the Dangote Refinery with the FG claiming that the refinery is not licenced and its products are less than standard.

On his part, Dangote has reiterated, accusing some officials of the NNPCL of owning blending refineries in other countries just as he revealed a hitherto unknown fact that NNPCL owns only 7.2% of Dangote Refinery as against the popularly pronounced figure of 20%.

Headline

Nationwide Protest May Lead to Anarchy, FG Warns

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

Eric

The Federal Government has warned that there would be dire consequences for the stability of the country if a nationwide protest being planned by some Nigerians goes ahead from the beginning of next month.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, met with ministers in his office behind closed doors to try to avert the protest.

But Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, dismissed reports that it was withdrawing from the proposed national protest by some citizens over the harsh economic situation in the country, saying it cannot be part of an idea that did not emanate from it.

South-east Governors’ Forum also distanced itself from the planned nationwide protests, citing concerns about the fragile political environment and potential hijack by criminal elements.

At the same time, some stakeholders, including some northern groups, opposed the idea of protest in the wake of harsh economic conditions. Instead, they recommended an engagement with the federal government.

But the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which supported the protest, said it was a constitutional right of the people.

In a similar vein, Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives urged the federal government to dialogue with planned protesters with a view to addressing their concerns.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammad Idris, issued the warning against the protest yesterday, when he received members of the Charismatic Bishops Conference, led by Archbishop (Professor) Leonard Kawas, who were on a courtesy visit to him, at his office in Abuja.

Idris said government was cautious and bothered about the protest against economic hardship, having seen the debilitating consequences of similar protests in other parts of the world, particularly in Kenya and Bangladesh.

The minister voiced concern that arsonists and criminals might be waiting to hijack the planned protest and unleash violence on innocent Nigerians.

Idris stated, “Why everybody is very cautious and very weary of this national protest is because we have seen what has happened around the world.

“We know that it’s almost impossible to hold this protest and then have peace at the end of the day. We cannot do that because some people are waiting to take the laws into their own hands.”

He said while the government of President Bola Tinubu acknowledged the right of every Nigerian to engage in protests, it was equally committed to ensuring that the activities did not disrupt public order or violate the rights of others.

According to him, “You see, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes in the freedom of everyone within the confirms of the law to do what he thinks is right for him.

“Therefore, the president is not an opponent of protest of any kind. But the president is an opponent of violence and anything that will hamper the wellbeing of Nigerians.

“He believes and he has always been saying that within the tenets of democracy, you have every right to do whatever you want to do provided that right does not infringe on another person’s right.”

Idris asserted that Tinubu was fully aware of the feelings of Nigerians across the country and he was actively working to implement effective policies aimed at alleviating the challenges faced by the citizenry and bringing relief to all Nigerians.

The minister said one of the policies being fine-tuned by government was to begin to pay stipends to all young university and polytechnics graduates after the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, pending their formal employment.

He stated, “But beyond that, there is also another new policy that the president has formulated, which will begin to be seen very soon, and that is that all young men and women who have finished universities and polytechnics and have certificates and have done their mandatory NYSC, and have not been able to get jobs, will have something from the government to keep them afloat until the time they get jobs.”

He described the introduction of the Compressed National Gas (CNG) policy by the president as a game changer in the country’s economy because of its ability to bring down the cost of transportation by about 60 per cent, thereby providing a viable alternative to petrol and diesel.

Idris said, henceforth, any government procurement of vehicles or machinery must have a component of CNG embedded in the contracts.

Earlier, President General of the Charismatic Bishops Conference, dissociated the conference from the planned national protest, saying they have been inundated with calls by some groups to join the protest.

Kawas said, “Recently we received some calls from some other religious organisations and other organisations asking us to join in preparation for a nationwide protest, which would start from 1st August 2024.

“We are here to let you know that we do not think the same. That we have rather decided to go all out and call for a truce. We have decided to sue for peace and humbly request that our brothers and sisters, who are aggrieved in one way or the other, that they should give us some time while we continue to communicate and negotiate with this government on areas that are pertinent to them.”

He appealed to aggrieved Nigerians in all parts of the country to give peace a chance and toe the path of dialogue and negotiation because no reasonable government will fold its hands and allow violence to break down the country.

Headline

Our Products Are Not Sub-Substandard, Dangote Fights Back

Published

6 days ago

July 21, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Steadfast and never-say-never entrepreneur, who doubles as Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has refuted various claims against his petroleum refinery and general enterprise bordering on inferiority and monopolistic tendencies.

The President of Dangote Industries Limited emphatically rejected claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA) that petroleum products from his refinery are substandard, in addition to the accusation that the company seeks to monopolize trade, especially in the oil sector.

Dangote rejected the allegations on Saturday when the leadership of the House of Representatives visited and toured the refinery located at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and his deputy Benjamin Kalu led the delegation from the House which included Hon Ikenga Ugochinyere.

To back his position, Dangote and his team tested diesel bought from two filling stations and that from his refinery at the refinery’s laboratories.

The tested diesel from other stations was bought in the presence of the lawmakers, while that from the Dangote Refinery was taken from production also in the presence of the lawmakers.

Two tests were conducted; a test of the sulphur level and a flash test. While all crude-based products contain some level of sulphur, high sulphur levels cause damage to engines and vehicle components.

The flash point refers to the lowest temperature at which the application of the ignition source causes the vapours above the liquid to ignite with the minimum expected flash point at 66.

The results showed that the sulphur content in the diesel from other stations was above 2,631 and 1,829; much higher than the recommended level while the tests for the flash point showed results of 26 and 63 respectively for the diesel from other stations. Both results fell short of the recommended minimum of 66.

The results for the diesel from Dangote turned out to be 87.6 ppm for sulphur and 96 flashpoints.

For Dangote, the result does not only show the reality of products from his refinery, but it also shows that substandard petroleum products are being imported into the country and sold to unsuspecting Nigerians.

‘Probe quality of petrol, diiesel at filling stations’

He called on the House of Representatives to investigate the quality of diesel and petrol at filling stations.

To carry out the investigation, he urged the House to set up a committee to test products at various filling stations across the country.

Decrying the damage being done to vehicles and engines by substandard products, also called on the House to investigate the quality of laboratories being used to test imported products and compare that with the one at the Dangote Refinery.

‘Monopoly Claim Untrue’

Dangote also said the claim in some quarters that his group of companies enjoy monopoly is not true.

“If you look at all our operations at Dangote (Group), we add value; we take local raw materials and turn them into products, and we sell.

“We have never consciously or unconsciously stop anybody from doing the same business that we are doing.

“When we first came into cement production, it was only Lafarge that was operating here in Nigeria…Nobody ever called Lafarge a monopoly,” he said, adding that labelling his group of companies as monopolistic is disheartening.

“Monopoly is when you stop people, you block them through legal means. No, it is a level playing field whereby whatever Dangote was given in cement, for example, other people were given because some of them even got more than us.”

‘No Single Incentive From FG’
The billionaire business tycoon said his refinery did not enjoy any incentive from the Federal Government.

“In the refinery, we did not, and I repeat, we did not collect one single incentive from the Federal Government of Nigeria or even Lagos State. Yes, the Lagos State gave us a good deal but we paid $100m for the land. It wasn’t a free land; we paid for it,” he said.

“Majority of the population are with us. So, we are not discouraged, we will continue what we are doing.”

Addressing the speaker, he said, “The most important thing, your excellency, is to note that the imported one they are encouraging, is the spec in test, but in certain cases when you check (independently), different results will show.”

This, he said, is “because those people who have the lab have been told what to write.”

He said the best way to determine the quality of products being imported and sold to Nigerians is by going to the filling stations, buying and testing them.

Speaker Abbas said going by the presentation and the contradictory claims, there was a need for an investigation.

“I don’t know how we have this contradiction of two players representing the public and private sector,” he said.

“I think it is something we need to investigate further to find out if there are ulterior motives.”

It will be recalled that during the week, a Federal Government of Nigeria petroleum regulatory agency, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, (NMDPRA), dismissed petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery as inferior, making a case for superiority of imported ones.

The revelation was made by the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, while responding to questions from a section of the press, a video of which was trending online, adding that the refinery is only 45% completed, and yet to be licenced for operation by the Nigerian government.

In the short video, which lasted a little over a minute, Mr. Ahmed debunked theories attached to the functionality of the Dangote Refinery, saying it does not have the capacity to ‘feed’ the nation of its petroleum needs, as it stands. He however, refuted arguments that some elements within the oil and gas sector were trying to scuttle the Dangote Refinery.

A transcript of the NMDPRA’s boss short response is as follows:

“It about concerns of supply of petroleum products acros the nationwide, and the claim that we are trying to scuttle Dangote. That is not so. Dangote Refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licenced yet. We haven’t licenced them yet. I think they are about 45 per cent completed, or completion rather.

“We cannot rely on one refinery to feed the nation, because Dangote is requesting that we suspend or stop imports, especially of AGO and DPK, and direct all marketers to his refinery. That is not good for the nation in terms of energy security, and it is not good for the market because of the monopoly.

“Dangote Refinery, as well as some modular refineries like Watersmith Refinery and Aradel Refinery, are producing between 650 and 1,200 PPM. Therefore, in terms of quality, their products are inferior to imported ones,” he stated.

It will be recalled that only last week, the President, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, while hosting senior journalists from across various media concerns, revealed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) owns only 7.2% of stakes in the refinery, and not 20 percent as widely circulated. He also revealed that the refinery is set to begin fuel supply in August 2024.

Many stakeholders and respondents have alleged that there’s no love lost between the government of the day and the Dangote Group, and that explains the hiccup situation surrounding the takeoff the $19 billion refinery.

Dangote has been fighting a battle of his life since the establishment of his refinery; from OICs, IPMAN and other concerns, posing the question, who’s afraid of Dangote?