By Sunny Igboanugo
If you want to see a professional journalist at work, watch Charles Aniagolu on Arise Prime Time.
The Morning Show is designed differently. Non of the crew is a journalist per se! At least not in the old tradition.
The closest to a journalist there is Reuben Abati. But the closest credential to that is his stint as Chairman, Editorial Board of The Guardian.
Except for those who rose through the newsroom to that position every newsroom person knows that the editorial board is not part of the core duties of journalism.
A medical doctor, an engineer, a priest or an animal scientist who writes well is welcome there because it’s all about opinion.
If Nduka Obaigbena wanted that programme to be purely for thoroughbred journalists, he has a long list to choose from.
Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, Segun Adeniyi or Simon Kolawole and many more are all there at ThisDay. But in his usual creative mind, he seems to be thinking of something more unique that would taper towards individuals with peculiar characteristic tendencies more than pure professional content.
The programme is therefore not to be seen in the strict sense. Rather, it’s an admixture of seriousness and lighthearted banters. It even slants more towards editorialisation. Editorialisation – infusion of personal opinion is of course unacceptable in practical journalism.
Journalism has its peculiar language that practitioners are schooled in. You’ll never hear Charles Aniagolu use the type expressions Abati or Rufai uses quite easily and frequently.
But that’s what you see in a profession that is not regulated as others. No matter how good someone is – even the one who successfully performs faetal surgery – surgery on unborn babies, one of the rarest brands of medicine or tetralogy of fallots – what they call the blue baby syndrome – he’s a candidate for jail if he has no medical certificate.
Ditto with law. There’s a very brilliant mind in Enugu that prides as a “Legal Engineer” who has almost all the legal books in his study that even established lawyers went there to borrow books and consult on legal matters.
A demonstration of his prowess was when he practically rubbished a SAN in court in a matter concerning him.
Because he elected to defend himself the senior lawyer thought he had him for lunch. Not even their lordships could believe what they heard with his display of legal performance.
Yet with all his brilliance, he’d never be allowed to represent anyone. He must hire a lawyer who went to legal school. I’ve even watched where a lawyer lost a case he would easily have won not because he wasn’t a lawyer but because he didn’t pay his Practice Fees!
That’s how regulated (the law profession is). Daily we hear of fake lawyers being arrested not because they’re not good at the job – some of them win landmark cases before being discovered – but because they didn’t read law.
But this could hardly be said of journalism. With Theatre Arts, Abati Rose to head a crucial department of the almighty Flagship – The Guardian, with Animal Science degree, Rufai is a household name, while Ojy Okpe a hitherto model has left cat – walking on runways to become an international “journalist.”
It’s even more intriguing now with the advent of the social media, where everyone has become a journalist.
See Omoyele Sowore! Not a few professional journalists adept at the job cried blue murder when he broke into the scene with his SaharaReporters brand that broke every rule.
But because he chose his targets well – I’m still wondering if anyone had heard the last about that $5million James Ibori supposedly offered Ribadu during his EFCC days – that’s a sampler – few people seemed to notice the new trend.
No trained journalist would touch that story with a long pole irrespective of its salacious nature. There were even many more dished out, not only against Ibori but the likes of Goodluck Jonathan and Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Today, people are only raising eyebrows and coming to terms with reality because the same Sowore seems to be extending his luck like the overfed nwanza the bird that challenged his chi to a wrestling match, by extending the Ibori-Jonathan et al treatment to Peter Obi – a living idol of many Nigerian people.
Today, the same Nigerians who were lapping up all he dished out in the past – seducing tales laced with innuendos, little truths, half-truths, outright lies and pure treachery are themselves asking the basic questions.
I’ve heard a number of Nigerians questioning from whence he became so comfortable and rich enough to finance his past and present lifestyle, which never happened before.
For the self-styled “activist” and “Revolution Now” exponent, it is even getting grittier with the likes of David Hundeyin coming out with what they say they know.
But who takes the blame? The journalist? The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigeria Press Council (NPC), or the society?
With a Charles Aniagolu or Segun Adeniyi or Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, a Lere Olayinka wouldn’t have put up such a show against Rufai on Friday. He wouldn’t dare even with Friday Olokor or Chuks Okocha of the same Arise.
But of greater note is how he was on The Morning Show in the first place. It wouldn’t take much to know that his appearance on that show was arranged at the highest level.
If he actually went there purely for Right of Reply purposes and nothing more and offered the platform like just an ordinary guest, he wouldn’t have been that audacious.
But even an imbecile could read power in his countenance. Coming from someone who could seal the almighty PDP Secretariat, who knows where the matter was discussed and what next would have followed if the TV network failed to play ball.
So, when next you ask why he wasn’t stopped or shut out, think of that also. Who would dare? Think of the consequences. Don’t forget that Nyesom Wike Lere works for is an Arise awardee! Figure out the rest.
Meanwhile, have you seen Wike’s convoy. I saw it as he made his way his private home in Port Harcourt. Just a few cars short of President Bola Tinubu. Did you see him climbing out of a Rolls Royce the other day? Never knew it was possible. Which other Minister could be permitted such a luxury or even be so audacious as to make a public display of same outside Wike?
So, when next you wonder why Lere could be so daring remember of what our elders say about the bird dancing in the middle of the road and the drummers in the bush.
Meanwhile, Rufai either lied or wasn’t well informed when he said Abati wasn’t on the show because he called in sick. Abati is telling a different story.
He said he stayed away because he had another engagement where he was working on someone’s new book. It’s either Abati went to do PP and decided to lie to Management by claiming to be sick in which case Rufai could be excused or Rufai knew he wasn’t indisposed, but chose to lie that he was just to cover u, there was a lie somewhere there.
Now, don’t ask me why Abati would choose stay away on such a crucial day to work on the said book instead of being in the office to face “Hurricane Lere.” Couldn’t the book issue have waited?
One thing was evident from the narrative on Friday, everyone in that programme if not entire establishment was aware that Lere was coming and why. Did Abati dodge the bullet?
I won’t be the one to call a whole “Dr. Reuben Abati” as he prefers to be addressed a coward. What I know is what I started with – if you want to see a Professional journalist at work watch Charles Aniagolu on Arise Prime Time! Ka ji kwo? Se oye awe? Ighotago?
•Opinions, positions or thoughts expressed here are personal and strictly of the writer/author and do not represent the views of The Daily Crucible.
