In July 2013, the Nigerian online news medium Premium Times published an article by veteran journalist and PR expert, Alhaji Yusha’u A. Shuaibu, on media relationships.
Mr. Yusha’u spoke about the linkage between journalists and government during a debate over whether the government and media are friends or foes.
“Spokespersons, as the intermediaries between the government and the media, should not only rely on prerequisite and relevant qualifications and experience but should have humane temperaments and friendly dispositions while discharging their responsibilities.
While a well-trained and well-behaved public officer can easily court the friendship of the media and earn the respect of the public, journalists too should imbibe PR instincts and the principle of initiating cordial relationships with officers in government to minimize mutual suspicions and misgivings,” the article stated partly.
Recently, while the world was busy commemorating Press Freedom Day, news took over the waves about how Malam Naziru Idris, a reporter from Abubakar Rimi Television covering the Kano State Government House, was hit by a stray bullet.
This unforeseen incident sparked outrage among journalists and the general public in the state just after Premier Radio broke the news.
Journalists became frightened by the stray bullet saga after the Kano State Director General of Press, Sanusi Bature, debunked the incident, saying that it was metal debris emanating from an ongoing barricaded construction site at the Government House. Bature did not stop there; he went ahead to include in his release that the reports from media organizations were just a flurry of misinformation.
Despite his denial, the airwaves were tense with expectations from journalists eager to hear from the Kano State police command under whose jurisdiction the entire scenario falls. Without delay, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Husaini Gumel, confirmed that it was indeed a bullet, which will be investigated by the police. He, however, assured that the bullet was not from a security personnel.
This situation has created more panic and apprehension among journalists, particularly investigative journalists. It raises the curious question: if an unknown bullet could stray into the Government House, rendering it unsafe for journalists, then where else would be safe for them?
This also speaks to the negligible state of practicing journalists in the state under the current government of Abba Kabir Yusuf, especially with the appointment of a more government-inclined information machinery dubbed Special Senior Reporter (SSR).
It goes without saying that the Kano State government prioritized the needs of their youth political appointees over those of practicing professional journalists.
I have no doubt about Sanusi Bature’s qualifications and recent line of awards, but at the same time, with such a thoughtless defense from him, one may be forced to argue the depth of his negligence and lack of empathy as a professional spokesperson.
Indeed, protecting the image of the Kano government is his primary call, but as argued by Sir Yusha’u in his 2013 piece, doing it more logically, with an inclusive mindset and lack of disregard for journalists, is an even bigger credit and image protection masterstroke whose credit goes to the government.
In a society where we are not practicing the ideas espoused in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, Kano State has produced many veteran journalists with high ethical standards on the job since the establishment of Gaskiya Tafi Kwabo and Triumph Newspaper, Radio Kano, and Abubakar Rimi Television.
However, the current generation of journalists in the state still have a long way to go in emulating outstanding journalists from the state such as Jafar Jafar of Daily Nigerian, Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu, and Nabila Muktar Uba of BBC Hausa, among others.
When talking about security, Kano State is among the less unsafe zones in the northern part of Nigeria. This was reiterated by the Kano Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Husaini Gumel, during his speech yesterday at the Government House in commemoration of the International Day of Living Together in Peace, organized by Arewa Youth.
Notwithstanding, the stray bullet at the Government House can be alleged to have its target, but one cannot be too sure who exactly was targeted. Could it be the journalist in order to make a statement while commemorating World Press Freedom Day, or the State Governor himself?
A lot of questions still linger amidst the absence of a comprehensive report on the incident up till now, and Sanusi Bature’s press release targeted at protecting the government but laced with many false claims.
Indeed! Kano stray bullet, red flag to journalists and Governor.
Hannatu Suleiman Abba writes for Arewa Agenda and Prime Time Newspaper.
