Publisher, South-South International Magazine, Ovie Edomi on Saturday June 9th, 2018 spoke on the theme; Re-Building Nigeria and Supporting Political Aspirants in the Nation’s Evolving Democracy at a One-Day Conference held at The Great Physician Church, Lagos.
Ovie Edomi, Publisher, South-South Magazine
The astute publisher, in his speech delivery said… I wish to begin this paper by profusely thanking Mr Akin Olayanju, founder of the Akin Olayanju Foundation (A.O.F.), for deeming it fit to appoint me as one of the speakers at this special event. I also wish to congratulate the organizers and conveners of this conference for putting together this first edition of the Akin Olayanju Foundation Lecture Series.
“This maiden edition is no doubt indeed very special, not just because it is marking the beginning of what is going to be a landmark socio-political and religious event in Lagos and Nigeria, but also fundamentally because the organizers have chosen a very laudable and significant theme : The Role of the Church in building a new Nigeria.
From the theme I chose this challenging and crucial topic which says “The Church or the Media: Re-building Nigeria and Supporting Political Aspirants in the Nation’s Evolving Democracy”.
The three critical dimensions of this discourse are
(1) Is there a fundamental need for a new Nigeria?
(2) Does the Church or Media in Nigeria as potential social institutions have the capacity and willingness to undertake the daunting task of re-building a new Nigeria nation?
(3) Is there a need for the media to support political aspirants towards enhancing democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
Let me state very categorically and emphatically that in order to build a new Nigerian nation, there is a paramount need for a new, well-focused and united church which must be assisted by a dynamic and vibrant press. According to the Holy Scriptures, Jesus declared, “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. (Matt. 16:18).
The fundamental question is, what constitutes this rock, which makes it so formidable, that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it? Without long speculation, this impregnable rock is invariably a church made invincible through the following specific elements or principles: (1) A church that does not walk in darkness, but shines as marvelous LIGHT unto a world or society engulfed in thick darkness. (2) A church that is embedded in the UNITY of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and united as one.
(3) A church founded upon the rock of PRAYERS, committed to SOUL WINNING and CHARITY.
(4) A church established on a foundation of RIGHTEOUSNESS.
(5) A church guided, guarded and girded on the breastplate of TRUTH (which guarantees its all-round and ultimate freedom).
(6) A church devoted to EVANGELISM, which increases daily in the power of the HOLY SPIRIT.
(7) A church which has the indwelling presence and unbroken access with God because it operates in uncompromising HOLINESS.
(8) A church which is unconquerable and for which absolutely nothing is impossible due to the unwavering commitment and FAITH of the members.
(9) A church filled with WELL-STUDIED APPROVED MEN who rightly, promptly and consistently divide the WORD OF TRUTH.
(10) A church experiencing multiplicational and phenomenal increase due to the practice of TRUE LOVE-GOOD WORKS (TRUE FELLOWSHIP) by the members.
(11) A church where the members are of ONE-MIND and share common values and visions.
(12) A church in which God and not men is GLORIFIED) to mention but a few.
Unarguably, Nigeria and the whole world indeed need churches with the sterling qualities described above to be able to tackle the thick blanket of immorality, iniquity and wickedness that is raging all around the world today. Perhaps and without exaggeration, one of the countries that are most amply ravaged by the onslaught of the end-time very grievous demonic manifestations is Nigeria. This Writer’s call for a re-building of the Nigerian nation is based on the current reality of the nation where presently everything seems to have been bastardized.
The onslaughts of the devil which are to kill, steal and destroy seem to have become adopted and perpetuated as the official policy and operational framework of every sector of the Nigerian society in both the public and private sectors.
The fabric, physical structure and moral framework of Nigeria have become so dented and paralyzed by the relentless impact of these horrendous evil human actions that the country has gone beyond the level of panel-beating. When the wreck of a vehicle involved in accident is so ruined, the panel-beaters no matter how skilled would not be in a position to proffer any remedy. The usual unavoidable option is to dismantle or do away with such an irredeemable vehicle which often is described or regarded as condemned. Anyone who is critically aware of the macabre and uncanny current economic, social, political, educational and religious situation of Nigeria would readily agree that the nation needs more than panel-beating. Panel-beating can only serve as a palliative measure or panacea for a situation that has not gone completely out of hand. Persons with deep awareness will quickly agree that what Nigeria needs is a re-building
It is both inappropriate and impossible to pour new wine into old wine skins, otherwise the old wine skins would automatically burst (Matt. 9:17).
It is literally impossible to pass the nation like a fabric through a cleaning machine, or like a piece of metal through a fiery furnace and come out with a well-cleaned, straightened out and reformed nation which will fulfill the dreams and desires of all Nigerians. What the nation undoubtedly needs on the contrary is the action of a ceramist/potter who dismembers/dismantles the dissatisfactory form and starts afresh to recreate a new desirable form. This is why I am a strong advocate and staunch supporter of the call for restructuring of the Nigerian nation. It is the only remedy to our innumerable problems and woes. Some of the present problems and woes include that the nation is plagued with: (1) Injustice;
(2) Unpatriotism
(3) Ethnic and religious intolerance, which impact very negatively upon thenation’s political system and collective existence.
(4) Severe insecurity of lives and properties to an extent which violates the essence of government.
(5) Corruption which is presently at an extent that threatens national stability and sustainability.
(6) Drastic unemployment and underemployment problems which have crippled many able-bodied and well-meaning Nigerians financially, forcing many to flee the nation in a desperate-frantic bid for survival.
(7) Poverty
(8) Problem of leadership
The list could go on and on, however it is obvious that Nigeria is a challenged and endangered nation on the brink of failure or collapse. What is most disturbing is that it has been on this threshold for some decades now. It is common knowledge that an ailment that has persisted for so long and defied many medicines often result in death.This is why many patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians are worried, fasting and praying for the nation and have progressed into thinking of the possibility of re-building the nation. This is the whole basis behind the clarion call for Restructuring as the panacea to the situation.
For me, the assuring consolation which would keep this cause on course is that if apartheid were dismantled in America, South Africa and many other places in spite of the prolonged resistance of the racists/oppressors; then one day, and now sooner than later, Nigeria will be restructured. The Holy Scriptures declare very assuredlyin Psalm 110 verse 3 that the people shall be willing in the day of His (God’s) power.
Now that it has been established that the Nigerian nation is beaten, broken and battered and badly in need of mending, that is, rehabilitation – the question is which institution is well or best suited to carry out the rehabilitation. The topic actually proposes the possibility of the Church being an institution for driving the needed rehabilitation. Before proceeding into an examination of whether the church can or cannot fulfill this onerous responsibility, there is the need to add another option being the media to the equation to improve and balance the options and alternatives that can be considered for the assignment. This is necessary in order to effectively decide on the viable option for the job, and perhaps decide and determine if a combination of efforts through collaboration is what may be most appropriate.
First, let us examine the potentials or fit-abilityof the church for the job. We looked at some of the qualities of a dynamic church earlier in this study. As an editor-journalist and a minister in the church in Nigeria, it is my well-considered opinion that the church in Nigeria presently, does not have what is required for it to fulfill the arduous task of re-building Nigeria.
The present Nigerian Church is incapacitated because of lack of unity and needs invigoration. Unless, the Pentecostal church will communicate and collaborate more with the older churches, and imbibe the righteous principles enumerated and discussed earlier in this paper, only then will the church be strengthened and united enough to re-build the nation.
In the entire world, the population of Christians who are comprised in the church is estimated at 2.1billion people; while Muslims comprised in Islam is estimated at 1.3 billion people. There are about 43,000 religious groups in the world with about 6800 spoken living languages across the globe.In spite of the complexity of the world, Nigeria inclusive, Christians dominate the south west, south east, south south as well as the middle belt. Therefore, if politicians can collaborate with Churches, Christian editors, writers and communicators, and employ a rigorous media campaign, that projects the best of the best of political candidates in the church that are well prepared for public service, Christians who are created to take dominion will truly take dominion in different spheres of our political space. It is indeed deplorable in our nation’s history that the Church which should be vibrant remains silent when evil is overpowering the good in our fatherland. Never again should political aspirants who know God neglect the media and the place of prayers and intercessions in politics.
The Bible says in Mark 16:15 ” Go ye into the world and preach the gospel.The Church is supposed to provide solutions to the political, economic and spiritual problems besieging the society but because the harvest is plentiful and the labourers are few (Matthew 9:37), the society is failing politically and religiously. Indeed, where there is no Shepherd the sheep scatters. No wonder Paul said, be ye followers of me as l am a follower of Christ. The Church in any country is expected to lead the nation to the altar of God. The Bible states in 2Chronicles 7:14 that if my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land. Without any gainsaying therefore, wise leaders will continue to call on the Church to pray for their nations. However, now that the church is in need of prayers and unity of purpose, we cannot relied on the Church for now for the grear task of rebuilding the nation, we shall turn attention to the media.
The media should be the bastion or platform for mobilizing political support for righteous political aspirants and righteous governance in an evolving Democracy such as Nigeria. The basic features of a dynamic media in any society are truth, accuracy and credibility. The media in any society plays a major role in influencing the way people view things around them. There is a relationship between reading newspapers, watching Television or listening to radio and the people’s perception.
Apart from perception, there is also the agenda setting role of the media. According to Barran and Davis (2003), the agenda setting role of the journalist focuses attention on audience interaction and what to think about. This empirically demonstrates a link between media exposure and audience perception of public issues. Indeed, editors and broadcasters play an important role in shaping social reality as they go about their daily routines, choosing, creating and reporting news stories to the people.
Apart from the media identifying and selecting the things that people are enlightened about, the media is also a source of entertainment in our homes.In other words, journalists frame the words and symbols which are transmitted to their audiences. This has been the trend since the stone age era when man uses signs, symbols, fire, drums and so on to communicate up till the time of the first newspaper in Nigeria (Iwe Irohin, in 1859, to the era of the first radio in Nigeria in 1932). Formal radio training began in Nigeria in 1956, while Television programmes began in 1959. However, the TV College in Jos did not start until 1980.
As part of this brief historical overview, it will interest us to know that the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo actually used the Nigerian Tribune to promote affairs of the defunct Unity party of Nigeria, (UPN), in the 1979 Nigeriageneral elections. Similarly,the late Chief M.K.O Abiola used the National concord to promote political affairs of the Social Democratic Party(SDP), against the National Republican Convention, (NRC) in the 90s. Furthermore, in the 2015 Nigeriageneral elections, AIT and NTA played a key role in exposing one of the presidential candidate as a sick man; while a popular newspaper in a special publication did present a presidential candidate in a coffin to reveal his poor state of health to the public.
From the above, it is demonstrated that journalism can be used to mobilize support for a political candidate and the same media can be used to promote hate speeches against another political candidate in a democratic dispensation.This does not erode or undermine the unarguable fact that every Democratic system needs a fair, honest,credible and unbiased media. However, in playing the gate-keeping or watchdog role to the society, the press can be effectively mobilized, manipulated or exploited to produce advantage or disadvantage with respect to individuals ideas, attitudes, beliefs, reactions, etc., to political aspirants and public personalities. Nevertheless, it is again indeed deplorable in our nation’s history that the Media which should be a vibrant radical organ of reformation remains silent or gagged when evil is overpowering the good in our fatherland. In fact, the reality at the moment is that the public national media, like the children of Israel in Babylon is being compelled to sing strange discordant tunes to which many Nigerians cannot listen, cannot understand and cannot dance.
No doubt, every journalist considers the element of value in determining his news items and opinions. Sometimes however, when promoting corporate institutions, individuals or analyzing certain trends, interests which are contrary from National or professional ones can be projected, especially when it pertains to news stories, news features, and editorials/commentaries. Fundamentally, this is where the ethical codes of the journalistic profession become very important.
A good journalist should always be a good ambassador and image maker of the journalism profession, if specially trained. Some basic ethics are as follow (1) editorial independence
(2) Accuracy and fairness
(3) Respect for privacy
(4) secrecy/non-disclosure of sources of information
(5) Non- discrimination
(6) Non-acceptance of gratification (7) Non-glorification of deviants eg armed robbery, terrorism, kidnapping, child trafficking and so on
(8) Promotion of core human values (rights, democracy, justice, Peace equity, etc.)
(9) No plagiarism
(10) Abiding by copyright rules
(11) Working for national interest/public good, amongst others.
The Political Class/Leadership in any society can help the journalists who are poorly paid in this part of the world to become highly paid as well advocate for better welfare for Nigeria journalists
As I round up this paper, it is pertinent to deal with the issue of whether the media can take on the task of rebuilding Nigeria. There is no doubt that the media as an institution for enlightenment, information propagation, education, sensitization, conscientization, social mobilization and propaganda is rightly suited for this role. No wonder an American President once said that he would prefer to have the press instead of a government in the society
However, it is not the hood that makes the monk, neither is all that glitters gold. The taste of the pudding resides in the eating. Finally, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride they say. There is a vast difference between the purpose and the reality of institutions, especially in Nigeria.
Nigeria is one of the famous countries of the world where things can work or function quite opposite to the purpose of why they are established. The simple reason for this malfunction was explained earlier in this paper in the section that treats the problems plaguing Nigeria. Before America made bold to tell its citizens not to think of what America will do for them; but what they would do for America, America had established or earned the basis for this sacrificial patriotic demand. It is not possible for a party to make an enormous demand from anyone or anything to who the party has not given anything substantial. Unfortunately but truthfully, many Nigerians feel that the nation has not made significant investment or positive impact upon their lives in comparison to some others.
Unfortunately for the Nigerian nation again, those with the feeling of discontent far outnumber those that are contented with how the nation has positively impacted their lives. Until this status quo is overturned, so that the reverse becomes the case; patriotism will continue to remain an unattainable phenomenon in Nigeria.The nation’s institutions, the Police, other Armed forces, Customs, INEC, EFCC, NAFDAC, the media and other government institutions themselves including the Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, as well as other public and private institutions in Nigeria will continue to suffer from the malnourishment (popularly called kwashiorkor) of unpatriotism. The Bible strongly declares that where there is no vision, the people perish. Until a government will come which will restore faith and hope in Nigerians for Nigeria, the institutions of the nation, including the church which we have focused upon in this paper, will continue to gallop and wobble like an antiquated, bohemian and underserviced truck, due to an overload of unpatriotic deficiencies and practices, which best define a majority or all of the institutions in Nigeria today.
Ladies and Gentlemen, politics is key to the governance of any society; so are the Church and the media to the well-being of people in every society. I candidly advise that political aspirants who are Godly and who mean well should encourage media owners to create more alternative platforms for politicians and people at the grassroots level to operate and reduce dependence on state owned media. Through such platforms there will be plurality of opinion on issues as well as improved political education/orientation. This will create opportunities for new entrants into the political arena and by that opportunity given oxygen to breath.
With regards to the Church, I want to say that to be uninformed is to be deformed. The Church in Nigeria must unite and rise up to play the roles of upholding and sanitizing the society. In a righteous society, people are bound to live in peace and harmony with God and nature. The church has a duty to teach Christian virtues of repentance, righteousness, faith, hope, justice and peace. Christian writers and communicators are needed in media houses. In that way, journalistic principles with regards to editorial and news writings can be observed and preserved. This will undoubtedly boost the chances of projecting the right political aspirants without compromise
Finally, Nigeria cannot survive without the media. But the mass media today is competing with citizen journalism in what is presently widely regarded as the social media. Everyone seems to be aspiring to own a blog and claiming to be a media practitioner. Even video operators, disc jockeys (DJ’s), video CD distributors and so on now display loud inscriptions of PRESS in their vehicles and claim to be journalists. Indeed, we need strong laws to regulate journalism practice in Nigeria.
The Church is not spared, violent ungodly men in all works of life from bricklayers, to carpenters, to contractors, as well as prostitutes, abortionists, armed robbers, hired assassins, rapists and so on parade themselves as anointed men of God and call themselves demon destroyers or end time Prophets ; when in actual fact they need deliverance.
In the build up to the 2019 General Election, journalists must rise to their social responsibilities and ensure best Democratic Practices. The Electorates on their parts should not vote for Political Aspirants that will make us forget our Christian Faith or slaughter us like chickens. On the other hand real servants of God should cry to God in prayers and also encourage their members get their PVCs and vote in their numbers for their preferred candidates so that the right political leaders can be elected to fill public office at the state and federal levels including the Presidency come 2019.
Beloved Brethren and Compatriots do not allow yourself to be discouraged, despondent or depressed. Nigeria will go on and everything would be changed positively, by the Almighty God in His own time and in His own way.
God bless Akin Olayanju’s foundation! God bless the church!! God bless Nigeria!!!