CHANNELS TV AND THE NATIONAL SHAME
Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh

'It was a great surprise to me when I discovered that the ugliness I see in others is but a reflection of my very nature'.  -Anonymous


   This piece is not intended to nail anyone, as a matter of fact, it is not even a criticism rather, it is an observation, aimed at calling the attention of the general public to the excesses of some of our journalists and  media houses. Channels Television has been voted the best in Nigeria and Freedom Of Information (FOI) makes their journalistic exploits more enabling for them but would the FOI have covered or does it involve showcasing our shame?

     For several months early last year, the most popular slogan in Nigeria has been ‘my oga at the top’, a term generated from the ill-fated interview granted by Mr Obafaiye Shem, the former Lagos State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to Channels Television during its breakfast show on March 6, 2013. Comedians and musicians can’t crack a joke or sing a line without referring to it. T-shirts, baseball caps and movies have been inspired by it.  The situation was much that the wife of the victim was said to have barged into the premises of the television station, asking what they really stand to gain from over-publicizing her husband's mistake.
     Those who watched the interview would agree that the Channels Sunrise Daily interview team manipulated the situation. They clearly knew the man did not know what the NSCDC’s website was based on his first response,  rather than change the subject, they resorted to exploiting his ignorance.

    While I am not totally in support of Mr Shem, I still believe that those making the noise about the interview are not being fair to him. How many of our National Assembly members know the country’s national anthem, let alone its official website? Ijeoma Bristol, the current Ambassador of Nigeria to Portugal, could not sing the national anthem during her ambassadorial screening. When asked to explain the Geneva and Vienna Conventions, she said she was “confused”. And yet, she was confirmed by the senate. What is the real difference between him and today’s youths who know a thousand websites addresses, but are dumbfounded when asked for their house number? There are people out there who are educated, but do not know how to send you a message on their mobile phone. So tell me: is there a difference between such people and Mr Shem as far as technology is concerned?

    Before Mr Shem's saga, there was what Channels TV tagged 'River State House Of Thugs,' a video clip that showed the violent and kangaroo impeachment drama within the River State House Of Assembly complex in which one lawmaker hit the on the head with House mace. The video clip generated controversies and attracted several negative comments from the international communities about our democratic system.

    It would be recalled that on the 17th of September, 2008, the late President Yar'Adua lenient as he was almost close down Channels when it carried the news that "President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua may resign after cabinet reshuffle, on health ground!" As expected, the local and international broadcast media quickly picked up the story and broadcast it to the whole world. Swiftly, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) disowned the story, while presidential spokesman at the time, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, emphatically denied the rumour, saying it was the handiwork of those who do not wish Nigeria well. Yet Channels TV was the source of the news!

    The latest this year from Channels Television is the one tagged 'there is God o'. A video clip about Mrs Dame Patience Jonathan, the first lady of this nation! Whoever watch the clip would acknowledge that it's a calculated attempt to expose the woman's flaw.  Channels had already made their point when they only reported about Mrs Patience's meeting with some concerned folks over Chibok abducted girls without the woman's voice and the annoying video. Question is, why did Channels had to go back and retrieve the video when they had said their news successfully without it?

   All these I consider too unprofessional for a media house that takes pride in being the best in the land and a very low sort of comedy. More than anything else, they have succeeded in generating further distrust between journalists and general public who will surely think twice before honouring invitations from them.
  This Channels folks need to be reminded that there are better things to do in enlightening, informing and educating the public rather than making mockery of the first lady and turning same to national pastime. It pride on being the best in the land yet the most incisive human-angle stories regarding Chibok abduction was the one  on the BBC website. What happened to investigative reporting/journalism? Has Channels ever taken up the challenge of researching how many people actually died in Nyanya? What about Chibok girls, how many girls were genuinely abducted? Do they have families? What are their names?  We now live in a society where newspapers and TV station rely on facebook postings by individuals for news updates.

   Nigerian newspapers and journalists have lost all sense of responsibility and shame, people are now mere hustlers, jobbers looking for rich and crooked sponsors at home and abroad, bullshit artists turning tricks, beheading the truth for pennies from the West.


-Saint-Olawale Jimoh
Observers' Reflections Int'l
www.saint-olawalejimoh.blogspot.com

TRIBUTE TO A QUINTESSENTIAL GENTLEMAN, MR ADENIYI JOHNSON TALABI AS HE RETIRES FROM TEACHING SERVICE.
Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh


‘One man of courage makes a majority.’ - Andrew Jackson


The media today is awash with tales of successful people who created class for themselves in their chosen fields by virtue of their achievements. I am always skeptical about such stories most especially when it has got to do with individuals from rich families. If Femi Otedola today buys all the refineries in Nigeria, I would not be surprised and if tomorrow I read that Paddy Adenuga is the richest young Nigeria, it won't amaze me, they're all from extremely rich families.

   You bring a story of a man who was born with a sliver spoon; who never tasted hardship, who studied under pleasure and attended one of the best universities in the world and you want me to toe his lines or envy him? No, we do not have the same conditions and owing to the difference in places of birth, we started the race of life at a different pace. Show me a man who was raised by parents who couldn't afford 3-square meal a day; who walked almost bare-footed to school and who wore same clothes for many years, yet made gold using these extant conditions and I will appreciate!

    Mr Adeniyi Johnson Talabi was born on 3rd of April, 1959 in Ilese, at a time when our forefathers had fed their children with negative tales about western education. It was even some families' tradition not to invest in education because to then, education would make their children oppose their customs and traditional practices yet there was a little boy who despite this notions and impediments found that his fortune lies in same education and did everything humanly possible to realize his dreams.
     He attended St Paul's Anglican Primary School, Ilese between 1965 to 1970 and Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu-Ode where he obtained S75 in 1974. He attended Methodist Teachers Training College, Sagamu for his Grade II certificate in 1974. He again proceeded to Tai-Solarin College Of Education, Ijebu-Ode in 1986 and University Of Ado Ekiti in 2003 for his degrees.
   This man toiled hard to achieve all these. He blazes the trail and sets himself as a role model, not only for the youths, but importantly for his contemporaries. All my life, I have never privately sat side-by-side with this man, never! In fact, I can count on the finger of one hand the number of times I have set my eyes on him this year, yet news of his great deeds keep reaching me every now and then.
    I am not going to make pretence of it at all. I have a fondness for him, his overwhelming humility, his sincerity of purpose, his dedication to duty and his remarkable gentlemanliness.
He is useful to mankind in all ramifications. At St Paul's Anglican Church, Ilese, where he's a pillar, he has been the secretary of the church's Harvest Committee since 1995. He is currently ACF President and Vicar's warden.
   In service, he is the Treasurer of Ogun State Association Of Primary School Headteachers (COPSHON) till retirement; Ijebu Divisional Chairman, COPSHON from 2009 till retirement, Assistant Secretary, Odogbolu Zonal COPSHON between 2001 till 2007 and Chairman of Endwell Scheme Building Committee, Odogbolu.
   Within the community, he is Vice President and co-founder of St Paul's Co-operative Multipurpose Society, Ilese; board member of Ijebu Central Cooperative Service Society (ICCSS) and Vice President, Olorunsogo Cooperative Multipurpose Society Limited.

Mr Adeniyi is a recipient of many awards including Fellow Of the Teaching Industry (FTI) and Best Headteacher Award in Odogbolu which was presented to him by foremost industrialist and former Ogun State governorship aspirant, Rev Olajide Awosedo.

Above all, Mr Johnson Adeniyi Talabi possesses one thing that most of our leaders are lacking; a gift you cannot buy with money; you cannot learn it in school, it's simply humility! His humility is legendary; to me, he  remains the most humble individual I have ever seen walking the surface of this earth.

-Saint-Olawale Jimoh
Observers' Reflections Int'l
www.saint-olawalejimoh.blogspot.com

GREAT NATION, CORRUPT SYSTEM. Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh

    America and the rest of the developed nations feed us with stories of their heroes and we worship them so long as they are non-Nigerians. You bring a story of a man who has electric power twenty four hours a day, whose mental capacity has not been impaired by sleeping and waking to the sound of a running 2.5 KV generator, who had not spent eight years for a four-year degree course because of strike actions of the university lecturers and you want us to toe their lines? No, we do not have the same conditions and owing to the difference in places of birth, we started the race of life at a different pace. Show me a great Nigerian, who made gold using our extant conditions, and I will appreciate him more than Pope!
        Americans have Obama we have Fashola; they have Bill Gate we have Philips Emeagwali, they have Beyonce and we have Bukonla Elemide(Asha). Nigeria is a great nation with few man-made problems (corruption and impunity) that can be fixed.
      The difference between Abuja and New York is simple; the former is subject to pretentious dead letters disdainfully styled as 'law' while the latter is subject to a gripping and sweeping operations of prevailing sanctionable rules and regulations devoid of class discrimination. The sword of justice is useless if it can't pierce through the flesh of corrupt elements among us. In any case, corruption is not limited to financial crimes. The least act of disrespect for established values (for personal gain) is a manifest case of corruption which ought to attract appropriate sanction. Justice should not look at the face or status of offenders. Afterall, the statue of justice rightly displayed an energetic blind woman, except in Nigeria where 'justice' has a special eye for the protection of the rich. And we jointly made it to be so. Yes, our laws are probably meant to protect the rich and oppress the poor. Sadly enough the poor aid and abet this ignoble process. With all these, one begin to wonder if there is something wrong with our soil or the air we breathe in this part of the world.
        My theory is that there is nothing wrong with our land except that our system conditioned the way we react. Nigeria is still a wonderful land in spite of our leaders' reckless activities and can be one of the best in the world if we first learn to fight corruption and impunity associated with governance and the holders of public offices!
        Wherever you look among Nigerians, there are people who hate to abide by rules and want privilege where they have not sown. It's got to stop. This is 2014, and anybody who spends taxpayers' money like confetti or wants extraordinary consideration in anything must be held accountable for earning it.

Saint-Olawale Jimoh
(Observers' Reflections Int'l)
©2014

BETWEEN THE VICTIMS OF NIGERIAN IMMIGRATION RECRUITMENT STAMPEDE AND THE FUTURE OF NIGERIAN YOUTHS. Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh

    I am gravely worried about the future of a nation that toys with its youths. What happened last Saturday is one of the symptoms of sickness of this society. It's rather unfortunate that innocent youths would have to bear the pain and brunt of the excesses and reckless activities of our leaders.

   It is heart-rending seeing those gory pictures of the dead and dehydrated jobless and helpless youths of my country, including three pregnant women. Indeed, Nigeria needs help.

    If Abuja National Stadium for instance is to carry a sitting capacity of 64 thousand four hundred and sixty or thereabout and the stadium was  filled to capacity with more people outside. Invariably we have close to a hundred thousand applicants there or more. Yet official figures has it that the agency recorded 560,000 applications from these job seekers. If over 2million people applied for the 3000 jobs and paid N1000 for application forms. By multiplying N1000 by 2 million applicants we arrive at N2billion.  It is therefore disgracefully shocking to know that government has made over N2billion from these job seekers with no jobs available them!

  In some civilized climes in this same world,  government actually pays her citizens a job seeker allowance to be able to weather whatever hardship that comes with being jobless. In United Kingdom for instance, jobless citizens get access to free house, health and money. But rather than help my Nigerian jobless youths, government is actually taking everything away from them.

   Imagine a country of about 160million people with about 100million people living below poverty line and over 60million jobless youths with no feasible future, yet its Presidency has 10 private jets with another new one more at a whopping price of $1.6billion. A country where elected leaders stole billion of dollars without being questioned; where a government official bought N300million bullet-proof car without being queried, where Phd holders applied for truck drivers' jobs, where you can have all the university degrees and still end up as a roadside newspapers vendor...

   Who will blame the innocent jobless youths for attending the job screening test? They are agile yet jobless and suffering!  We have an army of angry, jobless and desperate youths on our hands in this country and we are sitting on a keg of gunpowder but some selfish political apologists and sycophants would keep assuring Mr President that all is well.

   A time is coming when some section of our jobless youths would occupy National Assembly to demand for what they really deserve while some would be going from house to house of former national leaders to pay them back for the pains they caused them!



Saint-Olawale Jimoh
(Observers' Reflections Int'l)
www.saint-olawalejimoh.blogspot.com
©2014

LEGACIES OF A DEMOLITION KING. Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh

    Every new government has its leadership pattern which usually outlive their tenure in office. The overall impact of such government on people determines whether that government will be praised or cursed after its mandated tenure.
   Governor Ibikunle Amosun's style of governance in Ogun State means different things to different people. To the elite, who wish to drive his car without hindrance through a well flowered road, a road that is devoid of poor children hawking the streets, to him, Amosun is a hero. Such person will sing his praise and would undoubtedly stop at nothing to defend his government if need be.
    It is a different case to a poor woman who had lived all her life selling in the corner of the road, a condition forced down her throat by immense poverty, with her children hawking all over the street at the risk of being crushed by moving vehicles. She managed to send her child to school (through the proceeds from her petty business and assistance from well meaning Nigerians) and 8 years after graduation the guy could not secure a job. In may 2011, he got a job with state government and he was very happy, only for Amosun to sack the poor boy again (without pay) not considering the amount the poor boy spent on transport, registration, feeding and others.
   A small apartment her mum stays is already demolished all in the interest of urban renewal. To her, Ogun state has never been so hellish as it is now. Of the 3,728,098 population in Ogun state, over 65% are living below poverty level. The question is, under genuine democracy,
Who really own Ogun State? Is that the way to go about urban renewal?
   What is even the rational behind destroying businesses they can not provide, and housing need they can met and just creating homelessness , employment they can not provide, because some of the shops destroyed kept people in employment and safe some youths from wondering about and making them provide income for their families while contributing to government revenues and many more.

There are several prominent individuals currently nursing their pains from demolition exercise of SIA's administration:
- There was a case of Late Apagun Olumide whose properties were demolished and his hotel confiscated in May 29, 2011. The very first day this administration started. It's interesting to note that the demolition took place in the night!
-Hon Moruf Musa had his filling station and shops demolished in Ogun Waterside LG area of same State despite having valid documents supporting the construction of the properties.
-Hon Motunrayo Adeleye's property equally received the demolition touch of this administration.
-If not for swift intervention of some prominent people and Obas in the State, Abraham Tabernacle (a church constructed by Otunba Gbenga Daniel in honour of his late father and handed over to the Baptist Church of Nigeria) would have been history, because the entrance concrete poles had already been pulled down with the construction  bulldozer on the order of the government.
- Recently, there was an attempt on the property belonging to Ogun former Commissioner for Sport&Youth Development, Mr Bukonla Olopade's property. This property had already been marked for demolition.

 This government has no regard for commoners. Governor bikunle Amosun was not elected to humiliate the people he is meant to serve. There were no consultations with the people before embarking on rampage of destructions , all was done in a military styles. The roads that needed completion were either not addressed or left uncompleted as part of his personal vendetta. A Governor with sympathy votes should not be behaving like a tyrant.

 The handlers of this man need to have a rethink so as not to debase an institution that would outlive them. They must realized that the power of the people is greater than people in power! Many years ago, four hundreds thousands (400,000) Catalans joined hands to form a human chain stretching 250 miles across the Mediterranean coast of the north-eastern region to demand independence from the rest of Spain.
Similarly, a time is coming when Ogun masses will occupy Governor's Office to demand what they really wanted because the real power lies in the people and their votes!



Saint-Olawale Jimoh
(Observers' Reflections Int'l)
www.saint-olawalejimoh.blogspot.com
©2014

THE CORRUPTION VIRUS: WE ARE ALL INFECTED! Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh

    FORMER South African President, Thabo Mbeki was recently quoted to have said that, "ordinary Nigerians deserve as much blame as the politicians for the leadership failure in the country!" According to this man who took over the mantle of leadership from the late Nelson Mandela, it is only the citizens themselves that can put a stop to bad leadership. While many arguing about this speech, I honestly agree with the man totally.

    But how do we begin to fight this demon called corruption that has eaten deep into our national fabrics? Anywhere the word corruption is mentioned, what readily comes to the mind of a typical Nigerian is those in corridors of power or the elected executives in government houses. Corruption cuts across the social strata rearing its ugly head in the markets, the motor parks, the schools, offices, hospitals....
Yet an ordinary Nigerian who's not a politician or not benefiting from a sitting government sees himself as a saint. Anytime a newspaper or magazine announces the arrest or detention of any past public office holders by the anti-graft agencies, the reactions from ordinary Nigerians are always annoying.

'Nemesis has finally caught up with them,' exclaimed a Nigerian roadside newspaper reader, who is equally a petty fraudster, short-changing the newspaper publishing houses of full payment of a copy by opting to pay peanuts to read at the vendor's kiosk. Roadside subscriptions are never credited to the publishing houses. But the road side readers never seen themselves as part of the corruption loop!

     Those corrupt public office holders were once part of us. They didn't grow those traits when they got to the corridors of power. I am beginning to think that we hate those traits because when we look at our leaders, we see a mirror and standing in front of a mirror can be a very devastating if you don't look too good. Yeah, our leaders are mirrors who terrorize us with images of ourselves we'll rather not deal with!

    Fact is, not many of us can claim never to have benefited from one corrupt process or the other and not many of us realize that the more corrupt we get, the more hardship we face in pursuit of survival. I had writing earlier that those empowering us to the detriment of our future aren't helping us. We buy certificates for our wards; send them to school with public funds and get them employed at all cost and even to the detriment of the more qualified ones. God have mercy!
    It's a weird world where all is subject to natural justice and it's really so sad, because if this trend goes unchecked our coming generation will not only be facing unimaginable hardship but may find peace a luxury.
    Corruption-free society is possible, but it begins with us. If I follow due process in all my dealings and every other person out there does the same and with the fear of God, gradually, corruption will be a past issue in our land!.

ASUU STRIKE: A TALE OF GREED AND DISSERVICE. Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh.

     I never thought I could do a story such as this about Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) because of the respect and admiration I have, not only for the profession but for those in the field, yet I owe humanity a duty to speak the truth if situation demands.
      Firstly, we must acknowledge there's no perfect government anywhere in the whole world. Even in America, their government had to be shut down in order to sort out some unresolved issues bothering on health insurance. But in a situation where government chose to neglect a certain key sector of the economy, reactions are bound to occur. It's only a pity in our land because the only language understood by our government and the workers especially the university lecturers is strike action. Over the years, this action has immensely contributed to the rots in our education section. I had my own share of it when I was welcomed with 3-month strike action upon being admitted into OOU in year 2000.    

    These lecturers have been going on strike since the IBB days and yet the educational system is deteriorating by the day. In fact, this action began the decadent era that our educational sector has not recovered from till today. While the educational system is deteriorating, their take home pay has been increasing at the end of every strike action and the innocent students have always been at the receiving end..

     It's therefore obvious that ASUU of Nigeria has been and still making themselves a demigod to the Nigerian masses. They go on strike at all times in the name of a better compensation of their services. Question is what better compensation do they really require and for what service?

 It is important to mention here that ASUU is one of the highest paid government employees. They earn far more that the civil servant, they earn more than even the medical doctors in their level, they earn more than the Nigeria military in their level and they earn more than the Nigerian police. Yet, amidst same people, there are sizable number of intellectual misfits parading themselves as dons on our various campuses. I think it's high time the government carried out a staff audit as it is not proper to use tax payers money to continue to pay the salaries of academic errors.

   They formulate and charge for more extra time than they put in as they do not provide free services during the allocated time meant for their services. They charge every Nigerian student for their marks and grades, they sell all their lectures that they have been paid for in form of hand-outs. They individually has made the Nigerian universities a get-rich-venture for themselves while they hold the future of Nigerian students to ransom at every opportunity!

   In a class of 50, they sell 50 hand-outs at N500 - N1000, and each of them could have as much as 6 classes to lecture. So in essence, they are assured of an extra N300, 000 per semester, that is if they do not end up selling hand-outs twice in the semester. Now imagine what will be earned in a class of 200 students?

   The questions I expected from those sympathetic with these lecturers are: what happened to the past funds made available for the universities by the government? What about foreign grants? Are ASUU being paid for these months they have not been working?

 And these happen in almost all the courses. In this case where students are ignored to stay at home just because of some extra accumulated pay, who is heartless here, the FG or the lecturers?

     The questions I expected from those sympathetic with these lecturers are: what happened to the past funds made available for the universities by the government? What about foreign grants they have been receiving over the years? Are ASUU being paid for these months they have not been working?

Sometimes, it's not all our government's fault and it's high time students stand up to face their real enemies!


- Saint-Olawale Jimoh
(Observers' Reflections Int'l)
www.saint-olawalejimoh.blogspot.com
©2013