By Kelechi Amakoh
To think that a Nigerian newspaper dedicated an important part of an edition to chide another national newspaper is befuddling. No doubt, Daily Trust missed the mark with their editorial last Thursday.
From the editorial’s title: “That Punch Editorial”, it was clear that Daily Trust was only interested in rubbishing The Punch’s December 11 editorial. One wonders the political atmosphere that was “fouled” by The Punch’s editorial. This claim is baseless and adds nothing to the discourse raised by The Punch in their Buhari’s lawlessness: Our stand editorial.
Stating that The Punch “went overboard” with their editorial is amazing. Who made Daily Trust a Judge? What was the yardstick used by the editorial board to determine that? Daily Trust missed a clear chance of joining The Punch and other media organizations to call out the current government on their failure to respect human rights and wanton disrespect of a series of court orders.
As I highlighted in my last opinion article, the media as the fourth estate of the realm “is expected to be free to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people. This role of the media as enshrined in chapter 2, section 22 of the 1999 constitution has been lacking the required bite with regards to the Buhari-led administration. The docility of the media to speak truth to power has allowed the flagrant attitude of the government to fester without control.”
Based on Daily Trust’s That Punch Editorial, it is evident that the Nigerian media needs to step up to its responsibility in unison. It’s not a fight for a few media organizations. It is glaring that some media organizations prefer to look the other way while the nation is being ‘muzzled’ by its leaders. The last paragraph of the editorial beats one’s imagination. Having chided The Punch in five paragraphs, the last paragraph was needless and took away the shine from the judgemental role assumed by Daily Trust.
The paragraph reads: “This is not to disagree with PUNCH on the need for the government to improve its democratic credentials and respect for court orders. The continued detention of Dasuki, Sowore and El-Zakzaky despite numerous court orders for their release on bail is a blot on Nigeria’s image and a dent on its democratic order. It is unjustifiable, unlawful and unacceptable. The president and the vice president, not DSS, are elected to run the country’s affairs. They must curtail DSS’s overzealousness and ensure that flagrant abuse of citizens’ fundamental rights never happen (sic) again. Both PUNCH and the Federal Government should tone down their rhetoric and de-escalate the present tension.”
One wonders what tension could be more than a government’s refusal to obey court orders, respect Nigerians and stop the increasingly negative perception of Nigeria in the international community. The country requires active media than what is obtainable. It is needless to waste scarce media space to pontificate and judge other media organizations serving as watchdogs of the society. It behoves on Daily Trust to join the trail of watchdogs ready to rescue Nigeria from dictatorship. For some of its columnists to rise against its current stance about the current administration is a sign that should not be glossed over.
Dear Daily Trust, your December 19 editorial was awry. It is not what we need in this season. Hopefully, you have a rethink before it is too late. In 2020, the Nigerian media will be called upon to perform its role as watchdogs of the society – with regards to the social media and hate speech bills underway in the legislative arm of government. You can’t afford to fail Nigerians.
