The national
diploma final year student of the Nigerian institute of journalism, Ogba, Lagos
had a group speech presentation on English for mass communication on Wednesday,
the 25th of July 20012 which was the sixth edition of final year
student speech in the school
The event
took place in the school auditorium at about 10 am with all the ND 11 students
sited, judges and fellow students of the institution, the present judges were
HOD mass communication, Jide Johnson, HOD general studies, Mr. deleomojigbe lecturers, tolulope ojemuyiwa, chris
ogbodo, fimi oribamishe.
Toluo jemuyiwa,
a lecturer in the institution applauded on the student speech stating that they
all did well but last year’s presentation was better than this year’s
presentation, also correcting them on the errors they made while
presenting
He further
corrected some of the students dressing, stressing that “as a journalist you
should always dress properly because you can be called upon at any time for an
assignment and the way most of you dressed today was not appropriate for your
profession”
However, he
congratulated them saying “I am proud that some of you here will make this
institution proud in the labour market, urging them to keep the fire burning
and be focus for a better tomorrow”
Everybody
knows waste products smells, but the way it is handle can also differs the
smell.
Politics
is one of most important and essential factors which determine the prosperity
and the development of a particular nation. These days it is being defined as
"a very dirty game". But, telling the fact, there is no such thing in
the world which is bad by itself. Only the use and comments given by its users
and viewers are bad.
In
the same way, politics is not a bad thing. It is a vital factor for a country
because it helps to run the country effectively. Politics is mostly disliked
and hated by some people. It is not because politics is bad. In fact, it was
never bad, but the rulers and leaders used politics for themselves in such a
way that it seemed to be worst. Thus, it is clear that politics is not a dirty
game but the people who are engaged in politics are using it in a bad and dirty
way.
Indeed
everyone wants to be the most powerful man; they have to use all sorts of
tactics to achieve their aims. Humans are greedy and can never be contented. To
be honest, it would be a surprising statement to say politics is a clean game.
Politicians nowadays place themselves more important than their countries or
the people. Many are simply selfish people who wants the power and money only,
but don't want to do anything else to benefit the country/people.
Politics
has purposely been turned into a rat-race of who can bend over the most for who
pays them the most. Politicians no longer represent their countries or people.
Politician are making the country like the football ground and playing the game
with each other.
When
it comes to issue of power, people don't talk much about whether it should
exist or not but about who should have it. The feeling of being powerless is
the worst feeling that can happen to a man. In the politics of today, the
tactics you use to gain power does not matter much like the one you use to keep
it.
However, it is more or less dirty depending
on what country you live in. In the US, it is dirty to some degree (depending
on what you mean by dirty). Taking a look at Nigeria’s way of practicing
democracy, the word dirty is inevitable in a democracy. In democracy, we are
always going to have politicians who need to pander to the special interests so
that they can get money to run their reelection campaigns.
Imagine
a case where Reps gives President Goodluck Jonathan till September 2nd
to implement the 2012 budget or risk impeachment. This issue of the delay of
budget can be likened to a case of a father telling the child he will send his/her
pocket money immediately examination commences.
Whoever
is ruling over the affairs of your country determine what your situation will
look like. There are those who are called to lead and who lead serve while some
rule by force. Some are all out to protect their business empires and enrich
themselves at the expense of the electorates while some consistently have the
interest of the people at heart.
There
is a great difference between ruling, leading and serving. Are our politicians
ruling, leading or serving? The surprising thing is that some in the position
of authority may think they are serving the people well like the king mentioned
above but may not be doing it with loyal heart. Even though environment in
which one lives has a large influence on one, one has the inherent power to
stand out and refuse to join the bandwagon.
What
is the difference between these two players - ruler and leader?
Ruler:
A ruler as the name implies imposes his idea on the people by force regardless
of their needs and conveniences. He believes anyone that is not happy can go to
hell and he will also perpetrate himself in office for more than necessary.
Every opposing voice is suppressed and often kept in detention or killed. The
case of Zimbabwe is a good example even in this present time and age. Imagine a
man of about 85 years who prefers to die in office doing nothing irrespective
of what the people, international communities, press, opposition etc. feel, say
or do. It is a big shame and abuse of power. Robert Mugabe is supposed to bury
his head in big shame. Has he no children, or are they birds of the same
feathers?
However, all these rulers are like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe,
Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Muammar al-Qaddafiof Libya; do not care about the true A B C of politics.
They have worse alternatives to learn. They want to be the ultimate source of
authority. They want to stay in their positions, and never leave it except in
their way to the grave, as if they were stuck to it by powerful super glue.
A
leader: On the other hand, a leader carries the people along and is accountable
to those who put him in office. He does things that are pleasing to the people
and seek their opinion from time to time. He allows separation of power among
the executive, legislative and judiciary. He allows his name to be written in
gold irrespective of the other players.
Let
me bring it home to African leaders in general and Nigeria in particular. Ours
is a country endowed with so many resources, hardly is there a particular
mineral resource not found in Nigeria except if undiscovered. Coupled with
this, we have a very fertile land for agriculture but we abandon agriculture
for oil. Is there anything wrong if we have multiple stream of revenue
generation? The weather in Nigeria is near perfect; water resources and
everything in it can produces unlimited revenue; what about human resources,
highly intelligent, skilled and professional; in every area of endeavour.
Nigerians
are doing well all over the world. It seems something is wrong somewhere. It’s
like the right person is never allowed to be in the right place. For the first
time, university educated person is allowed into the office of the presidency
since independent and even that person is turned into a puppet by many unseen
rulers.
It
seems that many will only contest for position after it has been established
beyond every reasonable doubt that they are not fit for such positions. How?
Due to the process in place for selection, not on merit but connection. It is
not about what you know or what you have to offer but who you know. It won’t be
a thing of surprise that Barack Obama may not have succeeded in local
government chairmanship not to talk of higher position if he did in any part of
Africa, be it Nigeria or Kenya as a citizen.
It
is almost like a rule that you have to belong to a “caucus” which is usually
made of members of various secret societies to prove the eligibility of
candidates. The righteous man with good intention to serve will have been edged
out in the process. Something is wrong somewhere, I believe.
Quintus Cicero advising his brother
Marcus Tullius Cicero during his campaign for the Roman consulship to be a
successful politician of this dirty game, “Make sure that your election
campaign is one long parade, magnificent and splendid, appealing to popular
taste, presenting a grand and dignified spectacle. If at all possible, you
should also arrange for some scandal to be stirred up against your competitors,
involving either criminal behavior or sex or bribery, depending on their
character.”
Sometimes
some of these “opportunist” - politicians, big time contractors (that will be
awarded contracts without executing them) and their agents are richer than
these nations. The situation now is that the rich becomes richer at the expense
of the nation while the poor become poorer. And the wealth gathered
illegimately is used to oppress the poor.
Based
on this argument, we can claim that 99% of today’s leaders are politically
illiterate if we can oppress illiteracy by adhering that concept to it. Any
political system depends on three main factors; its legitimacy, its authority,
and finally its sovereignty. In case any factor of these three fails, the
system becomes no longer capable of surviving, and it collapses.
Today’s leaders are different; they
believe that the position is the origin of authority. They run for
elections because they desire the position to achieve an individual’s victory.
Their ultimate objective is the seek for absolute power, and in their way to
achieve this they can ruin all the gorgeous means and values that the humanity
has been struggling to protect them since the time of Adam.
Some leaders conceive the damned book
of Machiavelli "lo prince" their credo, and they commit to memory
every line in that cursed book. That book gave the politician advice about
what he should do to persevere and to promote in his position. However, it did
not give him an advice about what he should do for his people. The book teaches
the politician how to be a liar, pragmatic, utilitarian, hypocrite,
opportunist, or even a killer to achieve the position, and nothing but the
position.
A good example for us is Macbeth. It
is the famous Shakespearean play about the fighter who was told by three
witches that he was going to be a king. In his way to be the king, he killed
all the figures that stood in his way. Had Macbeth waited, he might have
reached the position of the king without all that bloodshed. Finally, Macbeth
was killed.
By all means, politics is a dirty
game. It is not a game of definite rules. Politics is exactly like a
free-wrestling game; you can use everything; you can kick, punch, slap, or even
kill. And if you killed, your lawyers can free you safely because it is a game.
And once the game has started, you can never change the rules.
The two right things, to do in this
dirty game are either you leave the dirty game for the dirty players who can
never change their filthy style, or for the stubborn players who are ready to
kill or to martyrize so that cleanliness may prevail. The second one is if you
chose to play, never leave the battlefield, NEVER!!!
Top of Form
IS POLITICS A DIRTY GAME OR IS IT HOW WE PRACTICE IT?
Everybody
knows waste products smells, but the way it is handle can also differs the
smell.
Politics
is one of most important and essential factors which determine the prosperity
and the development of a particular nation. These days it is being defined as
"a very dirty game". But, telling the fact, there is no such thing in
the world which is bad by itself. Only the use and comments given by its users
and viewers are bad.
In
the same way, politics is not a bad thing. It is a vital factor for a country
because it helps to run the country effectively. Politics is mostly disliked
and hated by some people. It is not because politics is bad. In fact, it was
never bad, but the rulers and leaders used politics for themselves in such a
way that it seemed to be worst. Thus, it is clear that politics is not a dirty
game but the people who are engaged in politics are using it in a bad and dirty
way.
Indeed
everyone wants to be the most powerful man; they have to use all sorts of
tactics to achieve their aims. Humans are greedy and can never be contented. To
be honest, it would be a surprising statement to say politics is a clean game.
Politicians nowadays place themselves more important than their countries or
the people. Many are simply selfish people who wants the power and money only,
but don't want to do anything else to benefit the country/people.
Politics
has purposely been turned into a rat-race of who can bend over the most for who
pays them the most. Politicians no longer represent their countries or people.
Politician are making the country like the football ground and playing the game
with each other.
When
it comes to issue of power, people don't talk much about whether it should
exist or not but about who should have it. The feeling of being powerless is
the worst feeling that can happen to a man. In the politics of today, the
tactics you use to gain power does not matter much like the one you use to keep
it.
However, it is more or less dirty depending
on what country you live in. In the US, it is dirty to some degree (depending
on what you mean by dirty). Taking a look at Nigeria’s way of practicing
democracy, the word dirty is inevitable in a democracy. In democracy, we are
always going to have politicians who need to pander to the special interests so
that they can get money to run their reelection campaigns.
Imagine
a case where Reps gives President Goodluck Jonathan till September 2nd
to implement the 2012 budget or risk impeachment. This issue of the delay of
budget can be likened to a case of a father telling the child he will send his/her
pocket money immediately examination commences.
Whoever
is ruling over the affairs of your country determine what your situation will
look like. There are those who are called to lead and who lead serve while some
rule by force. Some are all out to protect their business empires and enrich
themselves at the expense of the electorates while some consistently have the
interest of the people at heart.
There
is a great difference between ruling, leading and serving. Are our politicians
ruling, leading or serving? The surprising thing is that some in the position
of authority may think they are serving the people well like the king mentioned
above but may not be doing it with loyal heart. Even though environment in
which one lives has a large influence on one, one has the inherent power to
stand out and refuse to join the bandwagon.
What
is the difference between these two players - ruler and leader?
Ruler:
A ruler as the name implies imposes his idea on the people by force regardless
of their needs and conveniences. He believes anyone that is not happy can go to
hell and he will also perpetrate himself in office for more than necessary.
Every opposing voice is suppressed and often kept in detention or killed. The
case of Zimbabwe is a good example even in this present time and age. Imagine a
man of about 85 years who prefers to die in office doing nothing irrespective
of what the people, international communities, press, opposition etc. feel, say
or do. It is a big shame and abuse of power. Robert Mugabe is supposed to bury
his head in big shame. Has he no children, or are they birds of the same
feathers?
However, all these rulers are like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe,
Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Muammar al-Qaddafiof Libya; do not care about the true A B C of politics.
They have worse alternatives to learn. They want to be the ultimate source of
authority. They want to stay in their positions, and never leave it except in
their way to the grave, as if they were stuck to it by powerful super glue.
A
leader: On the other hand, a leader carries the people along and is accountable
to those who put him in office. He does things that are pleasing to the people
and seek their opinion from time to time. He allows separation of power among
the executive, legislative and judiciary. He allows his name to be written in
gold irrespective of the other players.
Let
me bring it home to African leaders in general and Nigeria in particular. Ours
is a country endowed with so many resources, hardly is there a particular
mineral resource not found in Nigeria except if undiscovered. Coupled with
this, we have a very fertile land for agriculture but we abandon agriculture
for oil. Is there anything wrong if we have multiple stream of revenue
generation? The weather in Nigeria is near perfect; water resources and
everything in it can produces unlimited revenue; what about human resources,
highly intelligent, skilled and professional; in every area of endeavour.
Nigerians
are doing well all over the world. It seems something is wrong somewhere. It’s
like the right person is never allowed to be in the right place. For the first
time, university educated person is allowed into the office of the presidency
since independent and even that person is turned into a puppet by many unseen
rulers.
It
seems that many will only contest for position after it has been established
beyond every reasonable doubt that they are not fit for such positions. How?
Due to the process in place for selection, not on merit but connection. It is
not about what you know or what you have to offer but who you know. It won’t be
a thing of surprise that Barack Obama may not have succeeded in local
government chairmanship not to talk of higher position if he did in any part of
Africa, be it Nigeria or Kenya as a citizen.
It
is almost like a rule that you have to belong to a “caucus” which is usually
made of members of various secret societies to prove the eligibility of
candidates. The righteous man with good intention to serve will have been edged
out in the process. Something is wrong somewhere, I believe.
Quintus Cicero advising his brother
Marcus Tullius Cicero during his campaign for the Roman consulship to be a
successful politician of this dirty game, “Make sure that your election
campaign is one long parade, magnificent and splendid, appealing to popular
taste, presenting a grand and dignified spectacle. If at all possible, you
should also arrange for some scandal to be stirred up against your competitors,
involving either criminal behavior or sex or bribery, depending on their
character.”
Sometimes
some of these “opportunist” - politicians, big time contractors (that will be
awarded contracts without executing them) and their agents are richer than
these nations. The situation now is that the rich becomes richer at the expense
of the nation while the poor become poorer. And the wealth gathered
illegimately is used to oppress the poor.
Based
on this argument, we can claim that 99% of today’s leaders are politically
illiterate if we can oppress illiteracy by adhering that concept to it. Any
political system depends on three main factors; its legitimacy, its authority,
and finally its sovereignty. In case any factor of these three fails, the
system becomes no longer capable of surviving, and it collapses.
Today’s leaders are different; they
believe that the position is the origin of authority. They run for
elections because they desire the position to achieve an individual’s victory.
Their ultimate objective is the seek for absolute power, and in their way to
achieve this they can ruin all the gorgeous means and values that the humanity
has been struggling to protect them since the time of Adam.
Some leaders conceive the damned book
of Machiavelli "lo prince" their credo, and they commit to memory
every line in that cursed book. That book gave the politician advice about
what he should do to persevere and to promote in his position. However, it did
not give him an advice about what he should do for his people. The book teaches
the politician how to be a liar, pragmatic, utilitarian, hypocrite,
opportunist, or even a killer to achieve the position, and nothing but the
position.
A good example for us is Macbeth. It
is the famous Shakespearean play about the fighter who was told by three
witches that he was going to be a king. In his way to be the king, he killed
all the figures that stood in his way. Had Macbeth waited, he might have
reached the position of the king without all that bloodshed. Finally, Macbeth
was killed.
By all means, politics is a dirty
game. It is not a game of definite rules. Politics is exactly like a
free-wrestling game; you can use everything; you can kick, punch, slap, or even
kill. And if you killed, your lawyers can free you safely because it is a game.
And once the game has started, you can never change the rules.
The two right things, to do in this
dirty game are either you leave the dirty game for the dirty players who can
never change their filthy style, or for the stubborn players who are ready to
kill or to martyrize so that cleanliness may prevail. The second one is if you
chose to play, never leave the battlefield, NEVER!!!
Traffic is what is to be respected in any part of the world
by all motorists. But what will you think when Okada riders (motor cyclist in
Nigeria) fail to obey every little traffic rules? Are they not motorists’ too? I
always wonder while growing up.
Though, aside Nigeria my home country, I have not been to
other advanced countries but at least I have been privilege to have been to two
other West African countries, Republic of Benin and Togo. In these two
countries I have been able to compare the attitude of their motor cyclist
towards traffic light.
Speaking to a policewoman at Pen-Cinema round about, Corporal
Fayemi Funmilayo who said that “No, the law states that all motorists including
motorcycle must obey all traffic rules. But you see, there is high level of
indiscipline in the country”.
“If you stop them, they won’t stop” added a LASMI officer
standing close to her. “Now tell me how many of them will we arrest?” he
questioned.
Fayemi also said “They have put the laws into their hands,
including commercial bus drivers and private car owners”. The most annoying are
the private car owners who now feel they are superior since the Inspector
General of Police has stopped stop and search” she lamented.
It was gathered that majority if not all the motorcyclist
does not have their complete documents, while a speaking to Mr. Austine
Babajide, a business man at the ever busy Pen-Cinema bus/stop. He added “the
traffic wardens are trying, but this Okada people are too stubborn”.
However not many agreed with the fact that the traffic
wardens are doing their jobs in respect of this issue. “No, there are not,
these police have been blinded by corruption, they are blind to all what these
motorcyclists are doing because they are used to their bribing” he shouted with
concern written all over his face.
The government has been urged to re-establish this law
because it seems some of the motorcyclists are ignorant of most of what the
constitution constitute.
Journalism, as a profession
stands out as one of the oldest modern professions to take root and flourish in
Nigeria. It has been in existence in Nigeria since the establishment of “IWE
IROHIN FUN AWON EGBA ATI YORUBA” in Abeokuta, 147 years ago by the Christian
Missionaries.
After the amalgamation of the
southern and the northern protectorate and with the spread and acceptance of
Western Education, individuals who later turned out to be among our founding
fathers saw journalism as an instrument of enlightening people as well as a
weapon against the oppression and injustices of the colonial system of
government.
Nigeria Union of journalists, NUJ, was founded under a six-man
inaugural Executive Council on the 15th of March 1955 at St. Paul school,
Breadfruit Street, Lagos.
It was created so as to
actualize a common forum by some early nationalist who fought for independence
in Nigeria through the “power of the pen”
One of the nationalist who is
also a journalist with the zeal to fight for independence was first Governor
General of Nigeria, the late Rt Hon. (Dr.) Nnamdi Azikwe. Another person is the
first premier of defunct Western Region, the late Chief Obafemi Awolwo. The
late Saudana of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa , Late Herbert
Macaulay and H.O Davies were also patriots.
Many of these patriots and early
times media practitioners have the dream of establishing a common forum for
Nigeria Journalists.
A member of the London institute
of Journalism who is a Nigerian, Chief Olu Oyesanya formed the National Union
of Journalist (also N.U.J), Britain joined the other patriots to establish
N.U.J. On his return to Nigeria in 1954, he joined the colonial government as
an information officer and he spread the information of the Nigerian Union of
Journalist.
N.U.J has a working constitution
i.e. a set of rules and regulation of the union which include the election of
the National leaders.
When the union was almost a
century old, professional regulatory body as well as unionizing practitioners
was established.
FUNCTIONS OF THE NIGERIA UNION OF JOURNALISTS
1.Safeguarding freedom of the press
2.Freedom of Journalists
3.Enhancing legitimate professional activities
4.To collect, preserve and publish statistical and other information as
may be useful for professional purposes
5. To negotiate conditions of service and establish welfare schemes
for members
6.Adequate training and education of members
7.Ensuring strict adherence to the journalism’s code of Ethics
8.Collaborating with organizations with similar objectives to defend the
rights of Nigerian citizens and society at large
No doubt this lateness has its
effects on development of the profession as well as its practitioners
The Union has a training wing,
the International Institute of Journalism located in Abuja, which was
established towards the realisation of its vision to train and retrain its
cadres and to prepare them adequately to contribute more effectively to
National Development. Presently, the registered membership of Nigeria Union of
Journalists is above 25,000
