Hard times like this are not for lazy journalists who fail to endure the rigorous of investigating issues with expertise before rushing to the press to dent reputations for peanuts and please a few.
A journalist who abuses the ethics of the profession is best described as a pen bandit on a destructive mission pursuing a futile exercise to justify a futile undertaking against his target.
When envy and hatred beclouds the reasoning faculty of opposition, it becomes full blown madness as the attention of MING XIN MINERAL SEPARATION NIGERIA LIMITED, a reputable mining company operating legitimately in different parts of Nigeria, creating employment opportunities and maintaining cordial relationship with host communities as it improves their living standards as a social responsibility, was recently and rudely drawn to a slanderous news story published by an online newspaper ostensibly to smear reputation and justify a sponsored silly hidden agenda.
Although, the said news story could not disturb a sleep for lacking any iota of fact other than mischief, but one deems it imperative to pencil a rejoinder for the records and posterity while advising the said online publishers to go back to basic to learn the ethics of the journalism profession and the ropes than allowing itself to be used as a fighting tool by those languishing in envy and hatred.
In the Online wildest imagination which qualifies the published story as a comedy, the malicious story as the usual friction of the imagination of the author, the mining company mischievously attacked and brushed with tar was alleged to have been settling the notorious bandit Dogo Gede for reason not convincingly stated by the malicious publication other than pedestrian journalism targeted at smearing a reputation.
Although, the management of the company has since directed its lawyers to commence action against the offending publication that emanated from the pen of a lazy journalist not properly trained, it may interest the reader to know that the company has never and shall never have anything to do with any bandit or lawless person within its areas of operation no matter the situation of things not to even talk of doling out its hard earned money to settle bandits for any reason.
Jobbers and traducers failed to understand that the company is fully authorized, monitored and licensed by the Federal Government of Nigeria to operate within the stipulated extant laws.
As a successful company, people get into the fray and in such circumstances there would be mudslinging, unwarranted attacks on its successes and the usual style of dishing out lies to confuse the people and smear the image of those personalities managing the affairs of the company who excelled in their areas of specialization and contributing to the stability of the economy and social welfare.
As the company strategizes to perform better, there must exist, some self-styled opponents left in the mud of campaign of calumny, and silently using compromised social media platforms to smear the reputation of their target forgetting the gravity of such slander in these times of insecurity.
Going by the visible developmental strides in host communities by the mining company, good sportsmanship should not allow a responsible player to attack the company other than for mischief, envy, blind hatred and ridicule.
It is undoubtedly true that the company has maintained its determination to crush the odds in its areas of operation including insecurity over the years which, has been a source of worry and disturbing the sleep of its detractors hence the unbelievable concocted report of the online medium.
Although, the medium is notorious for publishing fiction, it was used as an attack dog to humiliate and frustrate an innocent investment through that fruitless effort which remains an imagination, concocted from the bottom pit of hell but debunked with accompanying facts.
In several of their spurious statements of ridicule to bury shameful performance, the online medium consciously and proudly exhibited high profile mischief, crass ignorance and primitive journalism and attempts to divert public attention to their irresponsibility against the ethics of the profession they claim to practice.
As the online medium murdered truth, twisted facts, their target remains focused as it has never been part of their strategy to join issues with anyone.
Despite the blackmail, the target is not perturbed and neither loses sleep because they know that the people and government remain the judges and would exonerate and defend them when the time comes. They remain in touch with the people, listen to them and ensure that their wishes and aspirations are taken care of as well as loyalty to government. And this is all that matters to the mining company as a disciplined entity that believes in the rule of law.
“The online medium and their sponsors should know that business success does not entail spewing lies and ridicule against perceived players neither should it degenerate into invoking fire and brimstone against a law abiding company who shares contrary views and maintains sanity. The people within the operating communities are wise and discerning; majority know the truth and cannot therefore, be hoodwinked into empty loud – mouthed deformation of character. Those greedy should stop taking their personal weaknesses and moral failure to the mining landscape of Niger state under any guise.
“Allegations and baseless criticisms against the company are at best infantile and laughable. So far what is glaring is that the nauseating posture and utter lack of decorum by those in hate and envy do not portray anyone with the sincere mission. They ought to know that making controversial, unfounded, malice-ridden public commentaries, against real and imaginary opposition players in the mining industry is not a mark of brilliance”.
This is not the first time opposition players have overtime floated media outfits to twist facts against the law abiding company for a bowl of porridge. And in the combined desperation, they lack finesse and sense of limit. These traits are a threat to the unity and investment future of the mining industry and the benefitting communities must rise up to make sure that those mischief makers do not pollute the peace enjoyed with lies and blackmail. The truth is that the targeted mining company does not deserve the atrocious campaign of calumny diverting their attention to trivial issues.
Those mischief online mediums should be reminded that Great societies are built by patriotic media outfits not gamblers, grumblers and spoilers as they are battling them along with other determinants in the present investment climate. Anyway, the good thing about all these is that the mining company remains calm, composed, and focused to make the mining business more attractive and operating communities safe.
But if we must not be deceived, we have to revisit the meaning of the mischief. If some people within their God-given art of sincerity and transparency are impacting positively on the lives of others steadily and other uncountable achievements are tagged as unqualified for any reason, then one must prefer to be a failure than a murderer of truth and sponsor of insecurity for national disgrace. The so called report from detractors simply mean the mining company MING XIN MINERAL SEPARATION NIGERIA LIMITED has failed to satisfy the cravings of a sadistic cabal for resisting intimidation and control to do wrong things and mortgage the future of its reputation.
Below are documents for readers’ perusal to form an objective opinion
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues