DH
Weekly
Page 52
17th - 23rd July, 2012
Response Whose Script Is NTA Reading?
NYSC: Existing in the Shadows of the Past
By IBRAHIM BARGONI
A
s the megaphone of any government in power, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) is hardly a source of authentic news. Its near-total lack of credibility, of course, has led to the flourishing of private TV stations in the country to which viewers now turn for news. Only in April, this year, NTA falsely reported that LEADERSHIP's Abuja office had been bombed. We chose to ignore that hideous lie, hoping that the government-owned station would swallow the humble pie and turn a new leaf. Alas, it was not to be. The NTA sank even lower last Wednesday: on its 9pm network news (which has been repeated at least thrice thereafter) it dis-informed that our representative told the Senate Committee on Ethics that our lead story of May 28 entitled “N3BN PENSION SCAM: We Bribed Senate Committee In Dollars – Suspect” was published in error. It was clearly a hatchet job on a simmering bribery scandal involving the Senate ad-hoc panel investigating the investigators of the pension fund. The truth, however, is that, since after LEADERSHIP published the story of bribery allegations against the Senator Aloysius Etuk-led ad-hoc panel, the panel members have been clutching at straws to save their reputations. One after the other, they have threatened to sue this newspaper if it did not “retract” the story. Unfortunately for them, we have the suspect's voice on tape. The Senate Panel on Ethics (now investigating the allegations against the Etuk panel) invited LEADERSHIP representatives for the second time last Wednesday. At the hearing, our Senate correspondent, Mr. Uchenna Awom, clearly explained why we still stood by our story: the debate at the editors' meeting, efforts made to confirm the suspect's testimony, opportunity given the other side (the Etuk panel members) to respond, and even an interview granted Senator Kabiru Gaya (one of the panel members) a few days after the publication of May 28. In sum, Awom told them that LEADERSHIP's reports were always unbiased and most reliable. The representatives of other media organizations were present and reported the news as it was. Only the NTA did the exact opposite: its reporter quoted LEADERSHIP's Awom as saying that the story was a mistake; it showed a footage of Awom speaking but muffled his voice so the listener could not hear or understand what he was saying. Whose script is the NTA acting anyway? And how much is the TV station worth? We challenge the NTA – if it still claims to be a news medium – to broadcast the proceedings at the Senate panel's hearing last Wednesday unedited. The media must not be used to aid and abet fraud at this time that several revelations are being made about the uncommon depth of corruption in many sectors. For our part, we remain focused in the course of reporting the news. We are ashamed that any medium of mass communication would allow itself to be used to fool its audience. Culled from Leadership
DG NYSC By MAHMOON BABA-AHMED
T
he National Youth Service Corps scheme, started in 1973, is a genuine blessing in disguise to this country. It is arguably the most enduring tie that binds the motley ethnic groupings in Nigeria. It was carefully designed and introduced as one of the cardinal points of the post civil war strategies for winning sustainable peace by rehabilitating and integrating the breakaway Igbos into the mainstream of the nation, through the reconstruction of the war damages and putting the warring factions on fraternal course once again. The scheme required the postings of fresh university graduates to states other than their own, on yearlong mandatory services with a view to making them adaptable to new environment so as to become self reliant, patriotic, proud and loyal to their nation. Like most successful ventures worldwide, initial hiccups and difficulties are often associated with their implementation. The NYSC scheme was not exempted from certain drawbacks at the primary stage of its execution. The graduates drawn in to pioneer the scheme rejected their call up and embarked on destructive demonstration nationwide, unprecedented in the annals of student unionism. Their grievance was the additional year they have to spend in what they called unprofitable servitude in place of lucrative jobs waiting for them, with attractive fringe benefits which included car loans and furnished apartments. Nevertheless the Government of General Yakubu Gowon stood its ground about implementing the scheme and diplomatically advised the militant youths against resisting the plan which it pointed out was for the good of the country. It can now be seen that the scheme has succeeded tremendously, ushering in innumerable benefits to the nation. Sadly enough, 39 years after Nigerians have been reaping such meaningful gains from the scheme, some unpatriotic citizens are making desperate attempts to pull the nation down by deliberately trying to destroy the basis of its unity through the reintroduction of some negative trends similar to those that polarized the peoples of this country and which also caused the preventable war of the 60s. They are now
hell-bent in drawing the hands of the clock back, heartlessly fanning embers of religious bigotry and tribal prejudice to discredit the NYSC scheme in particular, and the nation in general. These retrogressive elements are desirous of subverting the country by instigating the youths to decline their postings to some northern states, blacklisted by the enemies of progress, so as not to be caught in the conflict between the authorities and supposedly dastardly terrorists in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano and Kaduna states. The secretariat of the NYSC also woefully swallowed that bait, line hook and sinker and nullified the postings to those states. Regrettably, Southern Press and some leading politicians, including legislative houses have been harping on such disruptive destructions, spreading falsehood and deceitful fabrications of dreadful security situations which they said drove southerners in droves out of the north. Accordingly a frightful, but devious picture had been painted of seemingly beleaguered southerners fleeing lethal bombs which were exploding in the midst of unwary strangers. In that case one will be tempted to ask what really happened to the first batch of this year's corpers posted to the 'doomed'
deficient in certain category of skilled workers find the services of the youth corpers extremely valuable. They have participated in all endeavours of nation building with the products of their labour conspicuously visible in all parts of the country. It will therefore amount to callousness if a section of this country is denied the services of these productive youths, especially some northern states which are struggling hard to catch up with their southern counterparts who have several years head start in advancing their states educationally and technologically. This contention may not be far-fetched particularly now that a campaign of calumny has been mounted against the north and northerners with a view to setting the rest of the country against them in order to hold back their progress and deny them certain fundamental rights. If living and serving in some northern states are risky and hazardous for southern youth corpers who were consequently debarred from inhabiting them, it will then be right and proper to discourage all southerners from frequenting them for whatever reason. In that case too, all students of southern origin, which formed the core of student population in northern universities and tertiary institutions, should withdraw on account of their personal safety.
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From the foregoing therefore, it would appear there is a concerted effort to discredit the NYSC scheme which clearly now is on the firing line of dubious critics who actually want to stain its importance to our unity and national development. The scheme may be existing in the shadows of the past, but it has not outlived its usefulness. It should therefore not be killed. northern states. Have they actually been killed and their corpses consumed by uncivilized predators? If they have successfully passed out unscathed why should anybody raise a fuss about the enrolment of the second batch? Can anyone imagine what will likely happen if youths from these despised and avoided states in the north turn down postings to volatile and politically unstable states in the south where they will constantly be bothered by headhunting carnivores, hardened political thugs, vicious armed robbers and heartless kidnappers? That may likely be the end of that splendid scheme which adequately promoted sense of unanimity among diverse ethnic groups. The essence of the NYSC scheme is to foster unity by pushing back the boundaries of cultural differences and to also allow the corpers contribute positively to the development of the country. That explains why apart from regimental training the corpers receive at the orientation camp, they are also deployed to serve as secondary school teachers, in the government ministries, in commercial outfits and industries. In that way some state governments and other organizations
If parents of the youths and other true Nigerians, apart from the hecklers of NYSC scheme and advocates of divided Nigeria, could come to the north in search of truth, they will discover that the dishonesty and the hypocrisy of the enemies of peace against some northern states was actually hollow and ludicrous propaganda. In the actual fact nothing has changed for the southerners in the northern states whose reputation was sullied by such slanders. They still open their well-stocked shops on the ever busy streets of the main cities of the north, with many of them populating the busy rural and urban markets. Contrary to that repugnant belief, Northerners and Southerners still shuttle daily to and from their respective states, vending their assorted merchandise without any molestation. From the foregoing therefore, it would appear there is a concerted effort to discredit the NYSC scheme which clearly now is on the firing line of dubious critics who actually want to stain its importance to our unity and national development. The scheme may be existing in the shadows of the past, but it has not outlived its usefulness. It should therefore not be killed.