Journalists as self-proclaiming heroes
Government has immense and unrivalled powers and authority. In democracies, they are headed by elected sovereigns whose powers can be likened to that of a Leviathan. The reason society needs a fearful sea monster is because it is inhabited by wild animals whose abiding philosophy ‘is the survival of the fittest’, where the weak dies and strong survives. The most powerful among them want unrestrained freedom to preside over an empire of slaves. Driven by the evil spirit of acquisitiveness and the desire to dominate their environment, men who are generally insane, therefore needed to be kept in check. The only institution that can do this is government whose very end is moving man and society from the state of liberty and license, of enmity and destruction, to that of peace and safety where those who have properties can enjoy them without fear of molestation. Government’s goal is pursuance of the greatest good and happiness for the greatest populace.
The paradox however is that the rest of us that need protection most from the owners of society not only often see government as enemy, but also forget we are the government. For instance, we have consistently blamed our economic travails on government, forgetting it was our economists who first told us that for our economic growth, we must embrace import-substitution through which we supply raw materials to multinationals to satisfy the consumption patterns they had created. It was our own economists that told us there was no alternative to structural adjustment programmer (SAP) which led to the collapse of our budding industries, taking our exchange rate from N1 to more than $1 to today’s over N500 to $1. It was Chukwuma Soludo as CBN governor who killed small banks and championed mega banks that today declare multi-billion naira profits through exploitation of workers who are paid slave wages as casual workers.
Behind most of our today’s divisive issues of our politics, are the political scientists. They recommended the proscription of our political parties and their replacement with military-decreed two-party system which will “evolve from the grassroots, give equal right and opportunities to all Nigerians irrespective of wealth, religion and status”. Under Obasanjo, an aberration where a federal government funded local governments that are not accountable to the centre, which Chukwuma Soludo said is the only one of its kind in any federation in the world, was their baby. As Aso rock professors during Babangida’s reign, they accused those who implemented free education and free health programmes in the first republic of insincerity claiming “they have been deceiving our people as they were deceived during the First and Second Republic
Instead of admitting we are the architect of our own misfortunes, we accuse government of the most unimaginable sins. And most guilty are the journalists who pretend not to understand the media is owned by those who have cornered more than their proportionate share of the national resources and needed platforms to protect their warped world view. It must be admitted that Nigeria’s current youths were on a good start with their EndSARS protest in October 2020, with government acceding to all their demands even though they did not have a clear understanding of our problems. But the goodwill of many supporters was frittered away with the media introduction of subliminal message about the huge amount of money that managers of the Lekki Toll Gate plaza rakes in daily just to score political point on behalf of their owners who in the absence of debate, bargaining or healthy competition have resorted to institutionalised fighting. They did not say when it became a crime to make money from government even as their proprietors make billions promoting fraudulent politicians through news commercialisation and conferring of honours on dubious bankers on money bags.
The tragedy is that while making a living by serving multi-billionaires and power manipulators who daily cheat and break the law, we assume the moral high ground trying to pull down government.
How else does one explain the virulent attack on Lagos State government and, the inquisition of government lawyers who pointed out some discrepancies in the unsigned leaked report of Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters, last week? While Governor Sanwo-Olu set up a four-member committee to raise a white paper on the submitted report, the media houses have written editorial while some electronic media actually embarked on what was more or less an inquisition of those who dismissed the leaked report as “pure distortion of glaring facts and cannot, in the face of in-depth probe and sophisticated analysis, stand the test of time”.
The media found an ally on Ebun Adegboruwa who admitted he was invited to join the panel on the basis of his credibility but now accuses Lagos State government of sponsoring attack on his person. He has argued that “it will be unfair and improper for Lagos State to be a judge in its own cause, by seeking to review the report of the panel.” If the government that sets up the panel cannot issue a white paper, he did not say who should. Both the media and Adegboruwa also gave the impression that it was Lagos State that was behind the attack on one Miss Kamsiyochukwu Ibe said to “be a prominent. EndSARS protester who testified before the panel”.
