Media
By Anayo Ezugwu
THE federal government has blamed the Nigerian media for misleading the people during the Lekki Toll Gate crisis. Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, said during the crisis, almost all newspapers fell for the hoax that there was a massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate. He said screaming headlines of 70 or more people shot dead at the Lekki Toll Gate made the front pages of newspapers, without a shred of evidence.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, NPAN, in Lagos on Thursday, December 3, Mohammed said it was baffling how newspapers, which were supposed to have reporters and photographers on the ground at the Lekki Toll Gate, fell for such a hoax. He alleged that the newspapers relied on the fake news and disinformation that have permeated the social media.
Mohammed blamed the newspapers for not leading the narrative with verifiable figures and well-grounded sources. “Had the papers done this, perhaps the likes of CNN, which were misled by social media, would not have goofed so badly as they did. We want to appeal to you to carry out a painstaking review of your coverage of the protest and its aftermath, with a view to ensuring that such never happens again. Even when the federal government challenged CNN for its professional failure, reflected in the lack of balance and fairness in its so-called investigative report that relied solely on social media nuggets and videos, some newspapers still didn’t see what we saw, until CNN itself backtracked!
“Please permit me to thank the publishers of the Leadership Newspaper for their well-researched and well-written Editorial of Dec. 1st 2020 entitled: ”CNN, Don’t Mess with Nigeria.” The newspaper showed a clear understanding of the issues at stake and did not mince words in highlighting them. We urge the NPAN, as a major stakeholder, to work with us and other stakeholders to check the menace of fake news and disinformation that has the capability to aggravate our fault lines as a nation and set us against ourselves,” he said.
According to Mohammed, another issue that should be of concern to the NPAN is the mindless and savage killing and maiming of security agents, especially police personnel and soldiers, during the protest. He noted that while the reporting concentrated on the hoax massacre, the gruesome attacks on security agents became mere footnotes. “This is capable of demoralizing the security agencies. As we uphold the rights of all citizens, let’s also realize that security men and women have their own rights too! Let’s give their plight the attention it deserves.
“For the record, six soldiers and 37 policemen were killed all over the country during the crisis. Also, 196 policemen were injured; 164 police vehicles were destroyed and 134 police stations burnt down. In addition, the violence left 57 civilians dead, 269 private/corporate facilities burnt/looted/vandalized, 243 government facilities burnt/vandalized and 81 government warehouses looted. As you are aware, and in accordance with the directive of Mr. President, Ministers have since gone back to their respective states to meet with stakeholders in the wake of the protest and its aftermath. This is in addition to what we are doing in meeting the media stakeholders. A Federal Government delegation has also visited the various zones to consult with stakeholders. The outcome of these consultations will feed into an overall review of the whole crisis by the Federal Government.”
On the recent killing of farmers in Borno State by Boko Haram, the minister regretted that the killing of defenceless farmers is an act of cowardice and savagery by a group of deranged terrorists. He said unfortunate and saddening as it is, the killing is not a true reflection of the progress being made by the military against Boko Haram. “That Boko Haram is going after soft targets is a sign of weakness and desperation on their part, especially after they have suffered huge setbacks in the hands of the military in recent times. The modus operandi of a losing terror group is to go after soft targets in order to stay relevant. It’s not only Boko Haram that does that. In 2019, Al-Shabab attacked DusitD2 Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, killing more than 20.
“Similarly, the Peshawar school massacre of 16 December 2014 in Pakistan, carried out by six gunmen affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, left about 150 people dead, most of them students. Let’s also note that fighting terrorism is an asymmetric war, as opposed to conventional war, hence even the best military in the world still suffers occasional setbacks in this kind of war. In the wake of the killing, there have been calls in some quarters for Mr. President to resign. Well, let me say here that this call amounts to playing dirty politics with the issue of security, and it is cheap and irresponsible.
“Mr. President was elected in 2015 for a four-year term and re-elected in 2019 for another four-year term. No amount of hysterical calls for resignation will prevent him from serving out his term. Now, let’s put things in context. Before Mr. President assumed office, Boko Haram could stroll into any city, especially in the north, to carry out deadly attacks. Abuja, the nation’s capital, Kano, Maiduguri, Jos, Damaturu, etc were regularly targeted. Motor parks, churches, mosques, shopping complexes were not spared. Today, that is a thing of the past. Suicide bombers used to have a field day detonating their bombs and killing innocent people.
“Today, that is no longer the case. Detonating Improvised Explosive Devices, IED, used to be a deadly tactic of Boko Haram. Today, that has changed. Boko Haram used to occupy territory, deposing and installing Emirs and collecting taxes. That’s no longer the case. These changes are not mere happenstance. They are part of the successes recorded by the military, under this President. Therefore, calling on the President to resign every time there is a setback in the war on terror is a needless distraction and cheap politicking. Let’s stop playing politics with the issue of security.
“The truths, which will rattle some people, is that Boko Haram is today badly degraded and can only carry out cowardly attacks like the one against defenceless farmers over the weekend. No nation, no matter how powerful, is immune to attacks on soft targets. 9-11 happened despite the prowess of the most powerful army in the world. Boko Haram’s only oxygen today is publicity. That’s why they have rushed to release a video claiming responsibility for the killing of the farmers.
“Please note that that video was shared to instill fear in the civil populace and maintain relevance in the eyes of their sponsors. There is no truth to the reason for their action. We therefore appeal to the general public to provide information about the insurgents to security forces to assist them in ending the war on terror. And we urge Nigerians to continue to support the men and women in uniform, many of whom have made the supreme sacrifice to keep our nation safe,” he said.
– Dec. 3, 2020 @ 16:25 GMT |
Tags: EndSARS: FG blames media over unverified reports
