After reading the story titled “Delta 2019: Embattled Okowa Arrives
London, Parleys With Ibori’ in your edition of 11th July 2016, I felt
very disappointed as the writer’s analysis and explanation on the
state of affairs in Delta State under the leadership of Dr. Ifeanyi
Okowa, fell way short of the truth. Indeed, the said article which the
writer used to pour torrent of insults and tirade of invectives on
Governor Okowa is just another misleading opinion by a journalist with
barefaced hatred for someone.
On the face of it, the title of the article might seem modest and
anodyne but the underlying rationale for the various issues raised
therein are not only quite complicated but worrisome. Indeed, it is
absolutely baffling to read such an article which is a blatant
manipulation of plain reality in 247ureports.com, an online media that
is widely known as a good alternative source for accessing credible
news. My first worry as a close spectator regarding activities of the
various governors that have ruled Delta State since 1999, is that the
reporter of 247ureports.com covering Delta State seems not to
understand the politics and realities taking place under the Okowa led
administration, probably because he has a defined ignoble mission.
Indeed, it is worth pointing out that the reporter might have been in
a hurry to file his report because the story is a mixture of garbage
with contradictory conclusions. Furthermore, that the story is full of
grammatical errors may not necessarily be because the writer lacks
capacity for good written English but it is most likely that the
skewed intention behind the article confused the author in his bid to
include fabrications, conjectures and twisted narrations on events of
Delta State. Indeed, that could have been why the flow of the story
was poorly articulated with a lot of irrelevance introduced into it.
Again, let me state that the caption of the article which ought to
make for high excitement for readers, unfortunately ended up with a
story of deceptive analysis on Delta State political and economic
situation.
For emphasis, any objective mind would appreciate the fact that there
is really no sensible reason why a reporter that is charged with the
responsibility of covering the activities of a State Government would
write a story that clearly revealed one sidedness. Ordinarily, this
can only be possible where a writer is an opportunist fiction
political analyst that cannot draw distinction between reality and
figments of imagination. Infact, that the writer of the article
against the Delta State Government relied solely on the views
expressed by only a ward party leader in a local government council
to reach conclusions on what he assumed to be imposition of candidates
in political party positions by a state Governor is definitely myopic,
faulty and bias.
For clarity, the view of a ward party leader in a local government is
just one opinion from over ten wards in the referenced local
government area in a State that has 25 local government areas. On
this, simple arithmetic indicate that the reporter may have singled
out this so called ‘ward 5’ party leader in a State that has over 250
party wards for self interest and to ensure that the story achieves a
defined target of feeding the public with falsehood on Governor Okowa
as well as advancing the interest of its sponsors.
It is sad that the author of the article acted like a puppet that
writes only what the opposition wants but it is more decrying to
observe that an admirable media like 247ureports.com would engage a
biased reporter that uses deception to misinform the reading public.
To avoid any ambiguity or misinterpretation, let me quickly state that
there is absolutely nothing wrong with being in the opposition camp
against Governor Okowa as it is the constitutional right of any
Nigerian to belong to any political group. However, there is
absolutely everything wrong for a reporter of a reputable media outfit
to make a rubbish of objective and investigative journalism, a
fundamental principle that ought to be observed by any credible
journalist. Without a doubt, there is a hidden agenda in the article
under reference as its contents did not conform to the standard ethics
of unbiased journalism.
Despite my recognition of the writer’s rights to freedom of speech,
his discretion to extend his professional responsibilities from
reporting activities in Delta State to tarnishing the image of
Governor Okowa by even calling him ‘embattled politician’, is
disgusting. However, I wish not to squander the time of readers by
stating all the falsehoods in the article but it is important that I
defuse some of the unscrupulous attacks on the Governor and show proof
of the writer’s generalised false reasoning, perhaps these will help
address some bogus issues in the write up and other similar articles
on Delta state in future. .
Specifically, the writer aside informing readers that Governor Okowa
paid a visit to Ex Governor Ibori in a British prison also alleged
that the aim was to consolidate his Delta 2019 re election ambition.
On this, there is zero indication that what the writer alleged was
discussed has any resemblance with truth. The reason being that there
is no way the content of a conversation between two persons in a
sensitive British prison enclosure would have been speedily and
directly leaked to the reporter. What the author attempted to do
therein, was to convince readers that anywhere there is smoke, there
ought to be fire.
if truth be told, that the author of the article did not in anywhere
in the story provide any lead that would authenticate his claims on
alleged discussion held in a gulag is sufficient for any sound mind to
dismiss the entire story. What the reporter only succeeded in doing
was to just to make readers travel on an endless journey of concocted
tales regarding Governor Okowa’s assumed anxiety on Delta 2019
elections. This is where it becomes easy to affirm that the author of
the article comes across as a person who had decided on what to write
about and would not allow facts or superior logic to stand on the way.
Perhaps, that is why in the author’s ignorance, it was difficult for
him to reason that no sensible politician that has spent only one in a
four year tenure like Governor Okowa would make a distant election his
priority or worry,.
Infact, what is the big deal about Governor Okowa stopping over in
London during his duly approved annual leave to visit a seeming
‘political godfather’ or even an ex governor of a state where he now
serves as the Chief Executive? Why should such a gutter like story be
made headline news item of a highly ranked news media? This is where I
fault a well read online media like 247uReporters for its
unprofessionalism in allowing a phony narrative to be its front page
story of the day.
Specifically, the article aside displaying a feeble attempt to breed
public hatred and disrepute against Governor Okowa’s administration
doubtlessly reeks of intellectual sloppiness and dishonesty. The many
inconsistencies, unproved and implausible remarks on Governor Okowa
especially in the section the writer dubiously stated that the Delta
State Governor ‘ran away’ to London because of the State’s
indebtedness to workers is highly regrettable. Ordinarily, any
objective writer should have sought a conversation with the real Delta
State Civil service workers to confirm if they have not been paid
their salaries for last month, June before reeling out falsehood.
Again, the writer’s other major allegation that Governor Okowa takes
one billion naira monthly from the State’s treasury is impossible for
a State with a dwindled monthly allocation from federal Government of
about four billion. On this, I leave readers to figure out where
objectivity and integrity lies in the entire story of the writer.
For avoidance of doubt, I’m not against the writer for expressing
personal views against Governor Okowa because as a public affairs
analyst, I flow with the understanding that even that emerge from the
pool of a slaver’s mind with no evidence to support allegations are
highly permissible a democratic setting. Never the less, in my candid
assessment, the writer in question did not conduct any meaningful
research on the likely lapses of Governor Okowa’s led administration,
otherwise, he would have been very knowledgeable on what dummy that
best fits to sell to the reading public instead of employing a mix of
misrepresentation of facts and conjectures to reach conclusions that
are far from reality.
In fact, what the writer has done to Governor Okowa is not new to bias
journalism, but what it should simply remind us of, is that it is not
all that is written in the media that should be taken hook, line and
sinker. From every good sense of logic, any reporter that uses
fabrications interwoven with half truths to mislead the public is a
wrong candidate for a media outfit like 247uReporters that claims to
be impartial in its conduct. Thus, it is fair that the Management of
247uReporters seeks better ways to truly make its readers become more
objectively informed on activities of Delta state government than
engaging a journalist that relies more on armchair reporting of
illusions.
–
Dr. Ephraim Okwuosa
