Malam Tukur Abdulrahman is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of the New Nigerian Newspapers Limited. He had edited the vernacular Gaskiya Ta fi Kwabo and the flagship New Nigerian daily, both belonging to the company. He tells Abdulaziz ABDULAZIZ of Blueprint Newspaper his reasons for contesting the position of President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and what he is bringing to the table if elected
Why are you throwing your hat into the ring?
I am contesting because I am qualified to do it. The constitution of the Nigerian Guild of Editors says anybody who has been a member of the Standing Committee for a minimum of one term is qualified to contest for the presidency of the guild. I have been elected as Vice President (North) of the NGE in 2005. Thereafter, I was elected again as the Deputy President for two years. So, that makes me eminently qualified. I have edited newspapers; the Gaskiya Ta Fi Kwabo, New Nigerian, and I am now an Editor-in-Chief. So, I am eminently qualified to lead to greater heights.
What are your plans if eventually elected?
Let me give you a little background. The Nigerian Guild of Editors is a professional association, mostly of friends and colleagues. We are doing whatever in the guild, largely for improvement of the journalism profession, and this is what I intend to uphold. I have been in the journalism profession for almost 30 years. I know the problems and I think I can contribute towards developing the profession, and being the president of NGE will assist me in achieving that.
But in specific terms what are those things you would want to do?
Well, there are many things but in brief maybe we can talk about training. Journalism profession is mostly about knowledge and skills, and impacting such knowledge. So if you are not knowledgeable yourself, there is no way you can impact that kind of knowledge. Therefore, there is need for training and retraining. The issue of training and retraining of journalists in this country is paramount.
Then the issue of keeping the guild intact: There has been this convention, even though not written in the constitution of the NGE, that the presidency rotates between North and South. By that arrangement, which has been on for a very long time – I think since 1980s – this is a period for the northern part of the country to produce the president. We felt we shall uphold that arrangement and we shall continue from where our predecessors stopped.
But opponents of rotational system often say it is inimical to competence and merit.
You see, like I told you, I am eminently qualified. And I don’t think there is anybody contesting for the presidency now that is more qualified than I am. There isn’t any. None of them served in the capacity that I have served in the NGE.
You are seen as someone picked by some elements in the northern caucus of NGE. Isn’t it safe to conclude that if elected you are going to serve the wishes of those individuals?
(Laughter)
I don’t know who gave you that impression. You see, in politics there is need for consultation. It is not like I am picked. Anybody who wants to pick cannot pick an incompetent person. There are guidelines, there are rules. So, first and foremost, you have to fit into the position before you are picked. Maybe if there are many contestants, there is need for probably some people that are considered respected and respectable to come together and say, “Look, let’s put our house in order before we go into an election”. If that is what people refer to as picking, then, maybe I was picked. But I know I am eminently qualified and I challenge anybody to bring somebody who is more competent to contest for this election.
What are you going to do to ameliorate the dependency attitude of such unions like NGE, of depending on government handouts?
There are so many ways. We are exploring them, we are consulting. Unfortunately, the Nigerian society is such that everything is government-centred. All the resources are with the government. But we wouldn’t continue depending on handouts. You see, even as a newspaper organisation, rather than depending on handouts there are services you can render and get money. For instance, you can go into consultancy and get your money from there to run your activities. You can tax your members; after all, the guild comprises of senior journalists in the society; the editors, the gatekeepers, and so on. So, there is a lot we can do for ourselves rather than depending on government.
Don’t you think your subsequent emergence as the president of the guild would polarize the ranks of the editors?
No. I wish you were in today’s (Saturday) meeting. At the meeting we had delegates from all over the country that came to sit and strategise and see how we can succeed when we get to Ibadan in the next two weeks. So, I don’t think my winning the election will polarize. On the other hand, it could be the other way round. Probably it is when somebody else wins that the guild would be polarised. But we are not praying for that because, like I told you earlier, the guild is an association of friends. All of us are friends and colleagues. We know each other very well and I don’t think an election will come and divide us. I don’t think so. I am not praying for that.