27 Aug 2009 |
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| A word for Adamu Adamu and others Adamu Muhammad Political commentators, activists and columnists took the pages of Media Trust papers since last month on the questions which Shehu Mustapha Chaji asked Malam Adamu Adamu, a columnist with Daily Trust in respect of Bauchi State’s political fracas. Adamu Adamu means different things to different people. To some he is an intellectual who has distinguished himself in the media industry, while others think he is an outstanding and diligent columnist in journalism, while others think of him as an activist, also whose silence on some important boiling issues will tarnish his glitter and so on and so forth. I read many articles of the war of word in media ranging from Shehu Mustapha Chaji’s piece, to Adamu Adamu’s to John Danfulani’s to Yusuf Gamawa’s and the recent one which I read in page 12 of Thursday, August 6, 2009 by Hamisu Gumel published in Daily Trust. Thank God, we are in a democratic dispensation which provides for freedom of expression, thoughts, ideas, opinion, objection and criticism etc. To be candid, no society can truly develop or progress without journalism. It is the journalism that makes people to know the happenings or issues of the society and they make their own contributions for stability, unity and progress. In this spirit, I wish to inform Yusuf Gamawa and Hamisu Gumel that Shehu Chaji has the constitutional rights to write and ask Malam Adamu Adamu over his silence about the recent political brouhaha in Bauchi state; he also has the social, political and religious backing to do so as well, because even the Almighty God stated in Holy Qur’an that “Ask those who know, if you don’t.’’ Messrs Yusuf and Hamisu, if they have been following the train of these intellectual debates, would know that it was Chaji’s article that made Malam Adamu Adamu to open up in his second part of his column of Friday, July 31, 2009 “Talking silly on Bauchi II”. It was then that many people knew what they didn’t know about role he played, but which he decided to not to inform the public before. It was when Chaji asked, people came to know. Thank you, Shehu Chaji; thank you Malam Adamu Adamu, and thank you Daily Trust. Journalism is the timely reporting of events at the local, provincial, national and the international levels. In journalism, there are many challenges. Often, it is a very risky job. Anything can happen to you as a journalist. As a journalist, some or most times you don’t have choice, you have to tell the truth, you have to be fair. You must not to be biased. Bear in mind that you have the power of pen in your hands. Malam Adamu this power has to be used fairly to change the society for better no matter what. A journalist must not accept bribe, be biased or anything like or related to that, and must desist from any practice or shirking your responsibilities that can bring disrepute to the profession. To be a good journalist, you must have a curious mind, endurance, self control, patience, tolerance, understanding, dedication, perseverance and lots more. You should have an eye for what is different. You should also be interested in societal progress. Again, to be a good journalist, you can study anything and write on many things. In short, it takes a lot to be a good journalist, to have a good journalism industry. But nowadays, people fail and others defend people when people fail to admit their mistakes, when they commit, or fail to accept defeat when they lose, fail to be enlightened when they are in dark or fail to seek for knowledge while they are ignorant, or fail to acquire more while they have less, fail to be awake while they are asleep or fail to open up or disclose, when they are closed or they limit while they can extend even go extra mile, and they fail to share while they have more than enough to. We hope and pray that the Nigerian journalists and the journalism would strive to be fair, unbiased with balanced reporting and publications for societal change and progress, peaceful coexistence, political stability, mutual understanding and national development and to be recognized internationally. I will appeal to Malam Adamu Adamu to know that neither Shehu Chaji nor John Danfulani has anything personal against him, as Hamisu rightly stated in his article. John was not instigating or castigating media report against him. All of us are exercising our constitutional right in a democratic system of government. What gives people hope and meaning is the pursuit of meaningful and noble purpose. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent at things or issues that matter or bother us.. It is never good to secure, think or peep and look into life’s happenings with eyes or thought of fear. One of the easiest ways to change your society is to help others achieve their dreams and their problems solved, you educate and enlighten them, so, you ultimately become a success. Malam Adamu needs no introduction to this principle of respect of fair and balanced writing, because his reputation precedes him. I conclude with this prayer: Oh God we seek refuge in you from a knowledge which does not benefit, from a heart which does not tremble from an ego which is not stated and from supplication which is not accepted. Adamu Muh’d UsmanKafin Hausa, Jigawa State |
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