CHANNELS TV SUSPENSION ON IPOB INTERVIEW:
The Dangerous Swing Of a Pendulum
By ‘Tunji Ajayi
Thomas Paine, an American political activist authored “Common Sense & Rights of Man” apparently to bolster the courage of the American Revolutionary struggle. Therein he had lamented: “These are the times that try men’s souls” thus indicating that even the developed nations of today once had their trying moments which warranted his ululation. But where common sense is not applied in governance and the right of man is also trampled, the nation may never be free from her afflictions and woes. Democratic governance thrives on a key ingredient of contract, viz, “consensus ad idem”- the agreement of two minds. The government, as comprised the elected individuals on one hand, swear to serve the people and respect their rights on the strength of the constitutional provisions; while the people on the other hand, as demonstrated by virtue of their votes during the elections, signify agreement. And so there exists a beneficiary-trustee relationship between the government and the people.
Consequently, the government sits on a nation’s affairs and runs office in trust for the people to assuage their sufferings. Government is the trustee. The people are the beneficiaries. Where the trustee derelicts, the beneficiaries are placed in asphyxiating condition, which often leads to groaning and lamentation. And this evidently confirms the veracity of the Biblical words: “When the righteous become many, the people rejoice, but when anyone wicked bears rule, the people sigh” (Pr. 29:2 NWT). And so the rulership of the wicked is often marked by suffocating time of groaning, anguish and lamentation - an excruciatingly difficult time which, like Thomas Paine regretted and concluded that such “times try men’s soul.” The whole essence of governance is to listen to the wishes of the people, which are the legitimate foundation of any government; and provide succor and hope when drifting into a cul-de-sac. Paine argues that Government is an institution whose purpose is to protect people from their own vices.
One fundamental right of the people is the inalienable freedom to express and be heard no matter the circumstances. Indeed, in “RADIO & TV: Time to Allow for Private Ownership”, (Daily Sketch, February 20, 1991), I had emphasized this right against the backdrop of Harold Laswell’s view on media’s sacred functions. Laswell was an American political scientist and Communication theorist. He believed that the freedom of the press is the freedom of the people. It is only when the press in a country operates in an atmosphere of absolute freedom that the right to freedom of expression by the individual is fully guaranteed. Indeed, the best press is that which has unrestricted latitude to inform, educate and entertain the people. It is then that the fundamental task according to Harold Laswell, of “surveying the environment; correcting parts of the environment; and transmitting culture”, can be fully performed. Before the advent of private media ownership in Nigeria, it was difficult to assert that the print and broadcast media were given the latitude to perform their sacred and social responsibilities uninhibited. Being largely owned and financed by the government, they were brazenly manipulated with impunity towards serving the interests of every government in power. Indeed, the electronic media stations were largely relaying “government-oriented” news packages to the people. Indeed government’s sole ownership structure largely influenced media program and programming. Ideally, beyond serving as a government megaphone, the electronic media should serve the needs of the grassroots and the people.
It was the era when some newscasters resigned on-air. For example in 1983 a newscaster apparently protesting “news full of falsehood” according to him, resigned on air. Chuma Edozie, working for a state television walked out of the studio in Enugu, Anambra, State, thus breaking off the scheduled 7.00 p.m. news bulletin. Quoting him: “I am sorry, I cannot with my conscience continue to read this news full of falsehood. I hereby resign my appointment with immediate effect.” Thus, Edozie picked up his facsimile and walked out of the studio away from the cameras, while after about five minutes confusion, another newscaster came on screen to apologize and continue the news bulletin. That explains how government’s sole ownership of the entire media space affects truth peddling, and how it places the people in the dark. Private ownership has now broken the monopoly giving way for multiplicity of information source.
Private ownership of media stations in Nigeria, especially in this technological age is a blessing to information growth. Despite working under very tense and suffocating conditions, our private media is amongst the most sensitive and pragmatic media industries in the world. I imagine Nigeria being a nation with right infrastructure and enabling working environment! Many of our electronic media stations would have made the likes of BBC, CNN, Aljazeera, etc green with envy! Indeed, our dismal situations would have been worse off without the eagle-eyed Nigerian print and broadcast media.
Without prejudice to anyone’s interest, the Channels Television is a privately-owned media station that any country with a sane government having clean hands and conscience should be so proud of. Yes. For many years now, it has successfully performed the sacred functions of environmental surveillance, news gathering and unbiased presentation. The truth is that Politics Today, Weekend Politics and Sunday Politics being anchored by Seun Okinbaloye tenaciously believes in “hearing and presenting the other side” of every single story. Yes! For years now, Channels TV, through many programs has brought virtually all major key holders in our business and political space and the government to speak out on grey areas to inform and enlighten the public. This is regardless of political leanings or affiliations. Channels Television is a blessing to Nigeria and the media world, epitomizing excellence and ably demonstrating that good things too can come from Nigeria despite operating in very tense and asphyxiating social and economic conditions. I wonder how more excellently the station would have performed in a well structured and organized clime.
But it is quite often the style of every government that is sliding into fascism to first find fault in cahoots with its established organ or parastatal in order to repress the press, create fears in them to muzzle free speech. It is so easy to find fault and then flaunt organizational codes to hold the target by the gauntlet.
According to William Pitt, a British statesman, “where law ends, tyranny begins.” Quite often here, the government agent is the accuser. It is also the judge and the executioner of harsh and unjust punishment; which obviously is against the cardinal principle of natural justice and fair hearing as encapsulated in the legal maxim: “Audi alteram partem” and “Nemo Judex in Causa Sua” - viz, no man is presumed guilty until duly tried by a constituted court of law. And secondly, you cannot be an accuser and a judge in your own cause. When a government hates free speech it cunningly stultifies the sacred roles of the media and muzzles its sacred libertarian philosophy, which has been the fulcrum of social and political development in advanced climes.
Indeed, while explaining the libertarian philosophy of the press to stress the role of the media in our modern world, a renowned communications scholar, E.B. White averred thus: “The press in our free country is reliable and useful not because of its good character, but because of its great diversity. As long as there are many owners, each pursuing their own brands of truth, we the people have the opportunity to arrive at the truth and dwell in the light.”
I listened to Channels TV’s “Sunday Politics” as anchored by the ace journalist Seun Okinbaloye which led to its suspension by the National Broadcasting Commission on the excuse of breach of broadcasting code of ethics. I shuddered with disbelief because the simple questions posed by the interviewer were aimed at, not only unraveling the mindset of the IPOB which can even be helpful to soothe fraying nerves and help the government to appease the aggrieved group, if possible. It was also aimed at “hearing the other side” which in itself satisfies the litmus test of objective journalism. It is easy to allege breach of ethical codes, especially against a media station which often unravels hitherto unknown facts from either side of the divide. Channels TV plays host to varying personalities regardless of their views on the sitting government or on contemporary issues. For example, why did the NBC deem it normal when the Channels TV played host to the fire-spitting Miyetti Allah several times - an organization which had been allegedly fingered for subtle backing of banditry and kidnapping. Indeed, Channels TV enabled the world to know their mindset as they boasted that they owned the land and were on a conquest mission. Our omnipotent NBC was alive then. But in another breath it became a breach of ethical code to host the aggrieved Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB). Till today, both organizations are still made up of Nigerian citizens and/or on Nigeria geographical space, whose voices deserve to be heard, no matter how dissenting. How does a government gauge the view or periscope into the deep mindset of its people without listening to their voices?
In a civilized society, the people have the right to know and thus are entitled to be fed with accurate information, especially via the media whose sacred duty, amongst others, include “surveillance of the society”. If the press in our country, as stressed by E.B. White is deemed reliable and useful not because of its good character, but because of its great diversity, it is expectations carried too far to seek perfection. Its diversity include “hearing and presenting the other side” of every issue to enable the public make informed choice of opinion and the opportunity to arrive at the truth and consequently dwell in the light as opposed to utter darkness as E.B. White averred. Where the press is muzzled tacitly or brazenly the truth becomes elusive and the light fails to the detriment of national growth.
The Sunday Politics presenter even prodded IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful by alerting him: “I am very sure you are aware the Federal Government has proscribed you.” Amongst other relevant questions, he asked: “What can you tell us about what happened yesterday, on the arrest and death of a leader of IPOB? How did you lose a member? How many of your people have been arrested? You sent a tacit threat to the governor of Imo state; what do you mean by that threat? What crime did he commit? When you sent this threat what are you planning to do? When are you planning to do that? What are your thoughts on the establishment of Ebubeagu? Confirm to us if ESN is not behind the attack on governors house. What kind of operation does ESN do?”
These were salient but innocuous questions posed via telephone conversation to the IPOB spokesperson. How does an attempt to unravel the cause of an event lead to suspension and a N5 million naira fine being imposed on a TV Station that obviously was assisting the country to solve a perennial problem and chart a way forward?
Could the NBC anger have been because the Channels TV offered a “proscribed” group a platform to ventilate their anger? But then, even the courts of law do allow guilty and condemned criminals the opportunity to speak out their minds in the form of allocutus? I doubt if there is any law that forbids interviewing and allowing a “proscribed” body to speak out. Indeed, the plausible reason why most aggrieved and splinter groups often go underground to engage in dastardly acts nocturnally against the state is when they are not heard or allowed to ventilate their anger. Problems revealed are problems shared. And the more problems are shared the more calmed and relaxed are the fray nerves.
Hear Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers (viz, the media) without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter. Where the press is free and every man is able to read, all is safe.”
Let the government know that it is not the IPOB interview on Channels TV that is causing most apprehension to this nation now. But it is the eerie silence to respond to people’s cry and government’s subterfuge while hundreds of men, women and children are murdered virtually everywhere in the country via banditry. An IPOB interview poses less apprehension, where kidnappers enter homes, schools, and churches, raping women in the daylight. IPOB is a lesser worry, while bandits enter university campuses to whisk students away into the bush, murdering them dastardly and throwing their bodies on the streets. Let this government wake up and face the core issues it needs to resolve. May NBC have a rethink and reverse its repressive order as nothing justifies the doing of wrong on the altar of expediency. Like George Mason, an American anthropologist once averred: “The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained, except by a despotic government.” Suspending Channels TV is a gradual descent into fascism and a cunning effort of repressing the press. Let’s all pray that this pendulum doesn’t swing dangerously to the direction of other media station as a precursor to anarchy and tacit muzzling of dissenting voices. Verbum Satis Sapienti.
*Tunji Ajayi, a creative writer, author, biographer and audiovisual documentary producer writes from LC-Studio Communications, Nigeria (+2348033203115; +2348162124412) >facebook.com/tunji.ajayi.946<
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