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| Ex. Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu |
A former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, has said the nation is drifting under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, urging the media to save it.
He also asked the Nigerian press to avoid partisanship as the countdown to the 2015 elections approaches.
Tinubu spoke on Thursday during the N850millon fund-raising dinner for Editors’ Plaza at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
Represented by his former Chief of Staff, Sunday Dare, the All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain said the media, as a monument or symbol of Nigerian democracy, is at risk because of a weakening foundation at this critical period in the nation’s life.
He said: “The character flaws and the political footworks of our present leaders are similar to the jackbooted-back steps past leaders took when we suffered dictatorial leadership.
“The approaching sounds of the drum of ethnic tension are now heard, religion has become a tool of hate-thy-neighbour politics.
“An imperial yet parochial presidency arrogates to itself the powers of national assembly and the courts. Meanwhile, it withholds funds from state and local governments in order to bring them under heel and to quash political dissent and opposition.
“As long as it persists in this effort to use the enormous resources and powers of the federal government to intimidate or impoverish those who are not in their camp, the federal government has wedded to the path of arbitrary rule and an over-concentration of power. These bear the marks of dictatorship and they imperil the sanctity of the Nigerian national project.
“You, as an institution, must hold the political system under your gaze and hold those who operate it accountable to the people. The Guild of Editors should be in the vanguard to build a new Nigeria.
“As an organization for journalists who have achieved the exalted position of Editor at their various publications or media organizations, the Guild possesses the calibre of people that can lead other journalists in the right direction towards crisp investigative and reporting and political analysis.
“If you maintain your integrity and that of your publication, if you show the way by example, if you remain objective, open and uncompromising, you will show the path for the media, the political class and others to follow.”
Tinubu also questioned the purported non-partisan role of the Federal Government.
He said: “ However, recent events bring into question the purported non-partisan stance of the organization when one considers how many editors have turned their publications over to select interest groups.
“Servicing interests at variance with the sacred oath made to the public to disseminate factual and comprehensive news and information is not the way of professionalism. The hijacking and distortion of news reports by powerful interests have turned the media into a commodity with a price tag. It has made a mockery of the very notion of non- partisanship to which the media subscribes.
“Editors and newspapers that willingly turn over their pages or wittingly publish misleading and false stories that serve narrow interests or spike the more accurate reports dealing with an alternative viewpoint have lost their way.
“They may be making money, but they choke democracy just to curry favour and gain a few pieces of silver. The only partisanship allowed of the media is neutral partisanship that stands on the side of truth”.
Source: Dailypost
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