FAILING MEDIA HOUSES

Some Nigerian media houses have either proved to be mouth piece for some political class while others just do a shabby job in reporting events to citizens. Independent Media houses should be the hope of knowledge to the masses but of recent they have not lived up to that expectation and thank God for the social media the Nigerian media houses would have divided us ethnically, politically or religiously depending on which one each citizen chooses to listen to.

THISDAY & VANGUARD newspapers are the papers to read if you want to be deceived on what the government is doing. You will never find anything against the government in the any of these two newspapers and they go ahead telling Nigerians that government is working. Recently, Thisday newspaper took their bias for the federal government to a different height when they stopped El-rufai’s column on the friday backpage of the newspaper a move Nduka Obiagena has since not had a concrete explanation to. The column was stopped at such a critical time when the man was enlightening Nigerians on the importance of the Justice Uwais electoral reform report and also immediately after he featured Japheth Omojuwa (a social media activist) who did a thorough job on the indifferent middle class and or failing (failed) government.

On the other hand, The Nation newspaper is the place to be when you want to hear positive news about the ACN and its members. Infact, The Nation newspaper didn’t hide their bias for the CAN during the Ondo governorship polls and even went as far as misleading the public on the status of the election when on Sunday October 21 2012, The Nation reported that ACN was leading in 18 local governments so far released in the Ondo election. Don’t get me wrong, I love the ACN and I believe in their Political ideologies and especially that of the party leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (You can crucify me for saying this) but The Nation did a poor job in the handling of Ondo election.

Champions newspaper recently announced their intention to give the Icon of Democracy award to T.A. Orji of Abia state. To say this is an aberration is an understatement. What happened to the likes of Fashola, Mimiko, Amosun, Fayemi, Okorocha to mention but a few. Lets even assume they intend to give a governor from the East, Only an insane person would disagree that Okorocha is the candidate for such an award. T.A. Orji like Chinedu Ekekee put it, is one governor “who doesn’t bother to pretend about his desire to not govern. He just doesn’t govern, and he rubs it on the faces of his citizens” and has left Abia state is in a state of mess. Only a few governors will contend with Orji when it comes to absolute non-performance in office.

And lately, PM news reported the arrest of the First Lady of Oyo state (Florence Ajimobi) by the London Metropolitan Police; a report that has so far been denied by the Met. Police and even the First lady herself have since appeared to deny such allegations. PM news went further to state that the woman was going on her 52nd trip in 17 months of the Ajimobi administration. How did PM news come about this report of arrest and the statistics of her travel? Does Florence Ajimobi report to PM news office before each of her travels? Meanwhile the frequency of her travel should not be anyone’s business as long as she doesn’t make those trips on public funds. The office of the First lady is so irrelevant to the economy of Nigeria and that’s why I was less concerned about the Patience Jonathan’s absence from the country.

PM news is one media outfit I have always detested since my early days in Secondary school as they have no iota of good news. If all an Investor just entering Nigeria reads in his First week of Arrival Is PM news, he will pack his bags and run as he will just see Nigeria as a land of beasts. PM news is never there to report when projects are commissioned, scholarships are won, and Nigerians are blazing the trail both home and abroad. They are only present to report when a man gives birth to a dog, when ten people are butchered, when armed robbers are burnt etc. They derive their joy of publication in carrying negative reports and Peddling rumors as they know that’s probably what Nigerians love to hear.

Media houses need to rise above just being the media representative of any political personality or group and give true representation of events as it happens and not only those that favour their sponsors. Meanwhile, I’m hoping that someday, PM news will be permanently shut down (MY opinion)…..

via: Nasir El-Rufai