Akpabio And Media Mercenary Writers

By: Udom Etete

The mass media especially newspapers and magazines in the country are supposed to serve as catalyst to meaningful development in the face of daunting challenges facing the government and the people. Yet, some of them have woefully failed to beam their publicity satellite on the challenges, rather they focus their searchlight on disparaging remarks and puerile commentaries on well-placed individuals and other insignificant matters for selfish reason.

In recent times, some national dailies have negotiated the bend of development journalism by turning their “comments are free, facts are sacred” creed into right, thus ignoring the long arms of existing media laws. Instead of devoting their enlightened editorials and well-informed opinions to solutions out of a morally depraved and economically ailing society, they and their minions have poignantly been dissipating energy to attacks on the personalities. Regrettable are the unsavoury but guerrilla attacks on the office and person of Akwa Ibom Governor, Chief Godwsill Akpabio by a horde of selected media houses in the country.

For example, The Punch with a revered? policy to issues, cogent editorials and incredible news stories recently sank into the miry clay of gutter and sensational journalism by nauseatingly? publishing an editorial headlined “Akpabio’s Financial Recklessness”. In a desperate move but with jaundiced view, the paper? embarked on a hatchet job of outrightly condemning the Governor’s reported donation? of a jeep (the paper mistakingly put two) and N3m to Innocent Idibia alias Tuface during his traditional marriage to Ann, an Akwa Ibom daughter. The paper also took a swipe on the Governor’s largesse of N6 million to some famished PDP members from six states in the South-South Region who recently gathered at Port Harcourt Civic Centre. Unfortunately, the paper failed the test of a balanced reporting and well-articulated view by not stating that donation and hospotality forms a sub-head in the state yearly budget. Any subtle attempt to divert the sub-head to another by the Governor or his agent could lead to financial impropriety.

Again, Thisday newspapers sometime ago naively criticised the conferment of Ph.d in Public Administration by Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna on the Governor. Anyway, the editorial which was kindergarten in reasoning, lacking in depth and wobbling in stand did not fit into the mould of any serious discourse. The paper that described the award as unmerited abysmally fell into the pit of half-truth and mischief, thus negating the cherished tradition of its truth and responsible journalism. But, the same paper easily forgot the meritorious award of? “Emerging Tiger” it conferred on Governor Akpabio in Lagos in the presence of such respectable global figure as ex-US President, George Bush, among others. Was the paper bought over or sponsored by political foes to have penned such an incendiary and insidious remarks against Akpabio in the name of an editorial seen to be the stand of any paper?

Furthermore, The Nation, another national tabloid, reeled out an editorial entitled “Tingod”. The paper lampooned Akpabio for adopting what it called ‘gangster-like manner’ in the removal of the immediate past Secretary to the State Government, Umana Okon Umana. It mimicked the Governor as a tingod, an inference to a monster in power and a dictator. If the paper had condenmed the style of removal, why did the motive of the removal also suffered injury from the paper? Was the SSG not appointed and sworn into office by the Governor who equally has the power to sack him in accordance with the spirit of the Nigerian consitution without any consultation or fuss even from a paper? Ideally, a paper is expected to protect the defenceless and serve as a voice to the oppressed in the society. Is Umana one of them? How many innocent, poor and hapless Nigerians dumped in the dungeons or denied justice by ego-seeking persons or authority has the newspaper ever fought for? In what could have been a watershed in editorial writing, it eventually turned out to be a sham due to the weak premise and illusory conclusion.

Lest the newspapers forget, some reputable ones among them had before now conferred different distiinguished awards on Governor Akpabio popularly regarded as an uncommon transformer due to his exemplary leadership style that has resulted in glaring infrastructural renaissance in Akwa Ibom. For instance, Tribune, Leadership, National Daily, Daily Independent and Sun, among others have conferred “Man of the Year” award and other coveted awards on the Governor. Could the busy Governor have lobbied all the independent newspapers for the awards? No! Didn’t the managements of the newspapers realise that the Governor was worthy in conduct, character and performance before they conferred the awards on him? Why the gang up by a few papers in using phantom of accusations, hear-says and suspicions to controvert Akpabio’s sterling qualities of accommodating and passionate mien?

In addition, Verbatim magazine of?September 9, this year has joined the array of aggressive newspapers to embark on campaign of calumny and pour venoms on the Governor. In a biased, jaundiced, incoherent and infantile publication, the magazine rolled out a dreaded cover story entitled “Roaring Lion”. The despicable and fierce-looking picture of a furled lion cast in a sarcastic and hyperbolic manner portrays Governor Akpabio as a mindless tyrant and unforgiving person who pulls down any perceived political foe or friend. What a libelous publication and irresponsible journalism! What an undiplomatic and provocative way to caricature a Governor who rules more than four million Akwa Ibom people!

The magazine still yet to find its feet in the marketplace of Nigerain journalism sheepishly enumerated the political gladiators in the state the Governor has supposedly ‘axed’.? This is another hoax with misrepresentation of facts, half-truths, a tinge of fallacy and a clear figment of the writer’s imagination. It?s a dent on the image of the magazine to premise that Akpabio forced Patrick Ekpotu, his deputy to resign from office whereas the said Ekpotu successfully served his mandatory, constitutional four-year term in office (2007-2011). Was the magazine day dreaming?

Also, the magazine brazenly but maliciously alleged that Senator John James Akpanudoedeghe who became Akpabio’s Campaign Manager took Chief now Governor Akpabio then to President Olusegun Obasanjo for endorsement before the election. What being economical with truth! Akpabio joined 57 Governorship candidates in vying for the seat during the PDP governorship primaries held in December 2006 at Ibom Hall Grounds, Uyo and eventually emerged the overall winner with about 2,200 votes. That victory gave him the governorship ticket not anybody. To say or believe otherwise amounts to argumentum ad ignorantiam.

The magazine further alleged that Akpanudoedeghe, the ACN Governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom went on campaign to Annang-dominated area and thugs believed to be Akpabio’s supporters? engaged Akpanudoedeghe’s supporters in a fight. Actually, the incident took place in Ikot Ekpene. Who shot and killed some PDP supporters? Who brought the fight to Uyo which is Ibibio land and Akpanudoedeghe’s enclave? Who set ablaze Fortune High Schools, Uyo owned by a PDP Senator, Rt. Hon. Aloysius Etok? Who set ablaze President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign office, Uyo owned by a PDP stalwart in addition to destroying taxi cabs and Keke NAPEP tricycles worth multi-millions of naira purchased by Akpabio administration for the unemployed? The magazine begged the question here by not telling the truth.

It is worrisome for a magazine to erroneously conclude that Akpabio accused ex-Governor Victor Attah of leaving behind an empty treasury whereas Attah allegedly left N9.7 billion for him. Happily the magazine reported that the money was the May 2007 allocation from the monthly Federation account. Has the magazine forgotten that Chief Akpabio was sworn into office on May 29, 2007 and allocation of the month landed in June? Who is fooling who? It was reported too that Akpabio accused Attah of misappropriating the state’s investment in the defunct ECONET, and called in Economic and Financial Crimes Commision (EFCC) to arrest Attah who now walks as a free man. As a harbinger of truth, can the magazine tell the public the amount that accrued from the said transaction and its where about?

It is a legal parlance that he who goes to equity must go with clean hands. The magazine actually erred by jumping into hasty conclusion on many irreconcilable matters by accusing of Akpabio of being accessory to the resignation of Nsima Ekere, immediate past Deputy Governor, arraignment of Chris Ekong, a one-time Commissioner for Rural Development, before a law court, purported rigging of election for Senator Aloysius Etok and Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s political misadventure in PDP. Yet, the magazine could not strictly adhere to the canons of investigative journalism, the hallmark of true development by stating the obvious for a balanced reporting.

Honestly, these odious publications and smear techniques ably impugn on the integrity of Governor Akpabio and are tangent to public decorum and decency. It manifestly reflects? the rot in journalism and shows the handiwork of media mercenary writers- journalists hired or paid to write lies against another person no matter his standing in the society.? Before now, it was a taboo to serve or be seen as a media mercenary writer (contractor) using pages of newspapers or magazines to mislead the reading public in order to create disharmony and hatred among one another. Today, media hatchet men parade streets, private sectors and corridors of power craftily buffeting the public with falsehoods and lies. Indeed, investigative journalism has been thrown into caution and publication of the truth to be damned has now become a rare commodity. What a tragedy of the highly cherished journalism profession!

Etete writes from Uyo