By Tijjani Isa
More often than not I’m forced to correct a deliberate misinformation not as public servant, which I am not one, but a concerned private citizen.
I offer this service free of charge because as a patriot I can’t stomach the unprofessional and unethical way of feeding falsehood to an unsuspecting public and damaging the reputation of public officials by my colleagues in the media and other fly-by-night journalists dotting the cyberspace.
That is not the way I was taught journalism in the mid 70s. I was instructed never to be biased, deliberately misquote anyone no matter our differences, and most importantly, to always cross check my facts.
And as far as I know the ethics, conduct and rules guiding the 4th Estate of the Realm have not changed or were ever rewritten that allow taking issues out of context. .
Unfortunately that is what happens more often than not even among veterans who should know better not to, at the minimum, misquote or engage in revisionism with intent to malign.
A reporter’s duty is to say it as it is and ask for clarification should the need arises.
The minister of education Malam Adamu Adamu was widely reported on the social and the mainstream media to have “confessed” failure in his duties. I am not holding brief for him because his ministry has capable media handlers, but my journalistic instinct tells me someone is amnesiacally selective of what to feed the public.
“I have failed” is subject to various interpretations but most importantly the need for journalists to all times be guided by the context in which the statement was made before arriving at a conclusion.
It is therefore safe to say, in my view, he didn’t meant he personally failed but unable to rally state governors to buy into his idea of declaring national emergency on primary education which constitutionally is under their purview.
I should think it was more of an indictment of state governors than a confession, because it is when you are responsible for the falling standard of primary education is one held accountable.
The minister of education is not responsible for the millions of out of school children but only concerned.
Is it not said that “you can take a horse to the river but cannot force it to drink”?
How then is Malam Adamu’s fault if the governors refused to heed his advice to declare the basic education system in Nigeria in a bad shape and needing urgent ICU admission if there is any chance to resuscitate it?
As we are fully aware, this horse (the governors) is not an appendage of the Federal Government but independent and elected to run their states.
Moreso, primary education is solely under the purview of state governments with complimentary assistance once in a while from the Federal Government.
You could say “it is the Federal Government for God’s sake. It can compel states to agree with it”!!
No so fast.
States are part of the union alright, but not subservient. So the idea of compunction does not even arise. The minister can only appeal to their conscience to do what is important to education generally which is in the interest of all children in Nigeria.
Let us imagine the Federal Government can compel any state government. How is that it has not forced Benue’s Ortom ,for example, to pay backlogs of civil servants salaries running into several months?
This attitude is not even new but often replicated by state governors in many other areas.
Take the issue of security for instance.
State governors are not known to play the complimentary role expected of them by being statutorily the first gatekeepers of our collective security.
Their lack of commitment is legendary and in the area of security they have utterly failed despite monthly receipts of millions of Naira to compliment the Federal Government’s efforts in tackling insecurity.
The resultant effect is that the scourge has festered on at a great leap and bounds resulting in human and material costs and loss to the nation.
There is this Hausa words of wisdom I am always fascinated with. It says “mai daki shi yassan inda ke yoyo” (literal meaning: the house owner best knows where the roof leaks).
It is obvious state governors do not care to patch the leaking roof – primary and basic education – but would watch until the whole house collapses and find who to blame.
Malam Adamu does not deserve blame for being concerned. The blame rests squarely on our govenors and they must be forced to be alive to their responsibilities not only on education but on many other fronts.
