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Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir delivering his paper
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir has declared that as Nigerians demand the highest levels of professionalism from the Media, it is only appropriate that proper attention was paid to the peculiarities of the environment in which it operates.
The Governor also said that, “we must re-enact the pristine professional quality of investigative journalism and rigour rather than swallow, willy-nilly, the salacious and sensational headlines of the social media which, more often than not, end up as fake news”.
The governor, who spoke at the public presentation of a book written by Amanze Obi titled ‘Scents of Power’ on Tuesday in Abuja stressing that the importance of the media in strengthening democracy in the nation cannot be overemphasized.
He also said that, “we must elevate the sublime over the mundane and if the later must play a role at all, let it be guided by the uncanny expertise, as we are told in Scents of Power, that allowed Amanze Obi, while at the famous University of Lagos, to navigate the lines between “rigour major” and “layabout”.
Bala Mohammed declared that, “Often times, we allow suspicion, even hatred to becloud our recognition that, without the Press, society will indeed be poorer for it” .
He Therefore proposed: A Media Recovery Financial Package similar to the Anchor Borrowers programme for Rice Producers but with very generous repayment plans. The CBN can determine the criteria for qualification and Tax incentives, including removing advertisements from the VAT list. I am aware that many media houses are groaning under the burden of advert debts as well as Making newsprint and other digital equipment dedicated to the media tariff-free”.
To the journalism profession, the Governor said, “I must say that I am very proud of this constituency that not only provided the anvil on which I started my national service but has played critical roles in our national development. I salute you” .
He also said, “Let me add that while the nation acknowledges and celebrates your inestimable role, as the saying goes, the reward for hard work is more work. Therefore, I expect that, as patriots and compatriots, we must join hands in finding solutions to the challenges of the moment”.
According to him, “In doing so, I am minded to point out approaches that will not lead us to the promised land: First, we must prioritise national security over sectional interests, in so far that by exercising such restraints, the requirements of justice are not sacrificed” .
“We must sacrifice national survival over corporate profit and personal aggrandisement. Profit and individual comfort only exist where there is peace and security”, Bala Mohammed added.
He however lamented that bloody farmer clashes, cattle rustling, armed attacks by militant herdsmen, kidnappings, among others, have thrown Nigerians into unimaginable horror and suffering.
According to him, many cynics attempt to dismiss Nigeria’s collective promise as an ineffable ideal and regard it as little more than a literary contribution.
He said, “No society can make progress without the ideas and intellectual contributions which shape our shared histories, cultures and ambitions. It follows, therefore, that our human capital is the greatest asset we have in Nigeria, which can provide a wealth far greater than any which could be drawn from the ground.
“Nigeria is in trouble; nobody can deny this fact. The morphology, geography and architecture of national crises and insecurity are huge, overwhelming and mind-boggling. How we got to this sorry state of affairs is indeed critical but more important is identifying and building the consensus to resolve the complex security threats facing the nation”, he said.
He further said that, “From bloody farmer clashes, cattle rustling and armed attacks by militant herdsmen to kidnappings, abductions, cult wars and urban criminal gangs, our people have faced unimaginable horror and suffering. Quite simply, national insecurity is bleeding the nation to death.”
Bala Mohammed also stated that the country was at crossroads, adding that there was a need for a national dialogue with all national stakeholders to build mutual trust, eliminate suspicion, separate organic conflicts from contrived conflicts and reach a common settlement on what works to reduce violence, killings and national instability.
“Only then can we implement a systematic approach to redressing the core issues amid the grief and chaos,” he noted.
