20112022

Nigerian Editors need to
revisit their Owerri
conference
The apex Nigerian media
association- the
Nigerian Guild of Editors
scored a point last week when
it provided a formidable
platform to Atiku Abubakar,
the candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party in the 2023
general elections to answer
perhaps the most pertinent
Nigerian governance issues of
the moment.Nigerians who
were able to access the
platform must have been
pleasantly delighted to hear
Atiku deprecating the current
situation in which virtually all
security agencies in Nigeria
are headed by citizens from
one part of the country. The
former vice president also
promised that if elected the
next Nigerian president, he
would from the very first day
in office begin a restructuring
exercise that would address
the subsisting over
centralization of governance
in the country. These are great
ideas capable of bringing to
an end, a long
standingunwieldy law
enforcement template that
pitches citizens against the
state.
It is obviously unnecessary
to plead with the Guild to
extend same platform to other
candidates so that the nation
can be fully educated on what
each of them intends to do if
elected. First, the Guild is
made up of persons who
belong to a profession that is
By Ezra Ukanwa
THE chief of Kabusa
Community, Samuel
Kpowu has called on the
Federal Government, FG, to,
as a matter of urgency,
provide access to free and
quality basic healthcare
services to citizens in Abuja
suburbs.
He made this call when a
Non Governmental
Organisation, NGO, Zed-
Faith Foundation, in
partnership with Nigeria Red
Cross, FCT, stormed Kabusa
Community, in Abuja
Municipal Area Council,
AMAC, with free medical
interventions, among other
donations.
The free service was offered
in the following areas; free
health check and screening,
free drugs and medical
counseling, free laboratory
test, free health talk, free
hypertension and diabetic
screening to residents in the
community, including
predicated on balance and
objectivity as a cardinal
principle of operation.
Surprisingly attacks on
the press have come
more from the states
than the federal level
with an increased
tempo since 2015
Second, the law governing
elections in Nigeria, the
Electoral Act 2022 directs all
media organs to offer equal
opportunities to all political
parties to explain their
manifestos thereby assisting
voters to make informed
decisions. Even non-media
organs and other interest
groups have also taken steps
to get different candidates to
address all relevant issues to
their satisfaction. That is how
it should be considering our
desire to change the current
political culture in which
elections are decided through
violence, vote-buying and
several other electoral
malpractices.
It is hoped that by its new
posture, the Nigerian Guild of
Editors would be ready to use
its numerous organs to
compel candidates when they
get into office to live up to the
women and children.
The group also donated
materials such as clothings,
footwear, among other things
to the residents of Kabusa
Community.
Reacting to the gesture,
Kpowu advised the
government at all levels to
ensure that communities are
major targets of free medical
interventions.
H said:"These people that
have come with this mission
of health, I really appreciate
them. I am very grateful
because we cannot lay our
hands on the government's
hospitality. Their health care
doesn't reach masses like the
way NGOs normally do,
especially this one that came
to our place..
"My call to the federal
government, state
government and local
government in terms of things
like this, they should reverse
back and do what they were
promises they are making
now. If this is done, the nation
stands the chance of enjoying
its media better than what
has been happening in the
country for some time now.
Unlike what the Nigerian
media was traditionally
known for, such as fighting for
independence, tackling
indigenous leaders of the first
republic for failing to change
the pains of colonialism and
embarking on guerilla
journalism to work against
prolonged military rule, the
media has been intimidated
since 1999 when democracy
was restored in the country.
Surprisingly attacks on the
press have come more from
the states than the federal level
with an increased tempo since
2015.
It is practically impossible
to list the numerous arrests of
journalists in the last few years
in Nigeria without changing
the focus of this piece. To
mention just a few, one cannot
forget the case of Jones Abiri,
Editor of the Weekly Source
Newspapers who was arrested
for certain publications which
security forces imagined
could threaten the nation’s
peace. His Nigerian
colleagues did not even know
of the alleged offence though
he was detained for 157 days.
It was foreign journalists
attending the 2018 annual
World Congress of the
International Press Institute
(IPI) hosted by Nigeria who
raised his case at a session
with President Muhammadu
Buhari. He was released two
months later. Obinna Don
Norman of the Realm News
was detained for allegedly
defaming and embarrassing
Theodore Orji, a senator
representing Abia State.
Another journalist Agba
Jalingo of the Cross River
Watch, who accused
Governor Ben Ayade of
corruption over a micro
Abuja community chief begs FG for free
grassroot medical interventions
doing before. If it is possible,
they should come back to the
roots".
On his part, the country
director, Mr. Chinnaya
Innocent, ZFI, said the free
medical services were part of
their social responsibility
programme and a way of
supplementing the efforts of
FG.
He said the gesture was
aimed at assisting the poor
and needy at the grassroots
levels, adding that the
foundation would extend
such humanitarian
intervention to other parts of
Abuja.
He said: "We're here today
to render a service of free
medical service to the Kabusa
village and this will be going
on to different villages. We're
not being sponsored by the
government, state
government or local
government."
From left: Mr Sam Lori Skinn, Mr Tino Ebgejule, Ogbuefi Sydney Alanah, Mrs Alero
Adebanjo the daughter of the late Mr Emmanuel Amoye, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru,
Prince Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh, former Regent of Warri Kingdom, Prince Shola Emiko
Amoye, Mr Solo Edema and Mr Doyin Iyiola, during the burial reception of the late
Emmanuel Amoye, in Lagos
SUNDAY VANGUARD,NOVEMBER 20, 2022, PAGE 15
finance bank in the state was
held for 30 months not for
defamation but for terrorism
and treason- a new trend by
which state authorities
employ provisions of the
Cybercrimes Act to convert
every media criticism to
sedition.
Remarkably, not much is
heard from the Nigerian
media about the new wave of
clamping down on journalists
who draw attention to
excesses in governance
especially at state level where
there is hardly any opposition.
Against this background, I
had looked forward with
plenty of hope that the
Nigerian Guild of Editors was
set to throw light on the case
of a radio operative in the Imo
Broadcasting Service that
had been accused of
offending governor Hope
Uzodinma. My belief was
that the radio worker’s case
may have been part of what
influenced the choice of
Owerri as the venue for this
year’s 18 th All Nigeria Editors
Conference. But by the time
the conference ended, all I
heard was a collection of
speeches of commendation
for a reported outstanding
performance of the governor.
In fact, anyone could have
agreed with the evaluative
reports because watching
some of the projects displayed,
Owerri was exceedingly
beautiful.
I waited patiently to see if
any areas which the governor
did nothing about would be
pointed out, but none. Of
course, Uzodinma being
human cannot score 100
percent but with no reference
to what he did not do, it would
be wrong for any viewer to
derogate from the score of
eyewitnesses. I reached out to
some old friends in Imo over
the generous score and one
person testified that at the
Gala Nite held at the Banquet
The
German
International
Development Agency (GIZ),
said it has trained about 500
feed millers in Ogun State in
the last two months on how to
combine high quality
cassava peel to animal feed.
A Consultant with GIZ-
SEDIN on Cassava
Processing Waste2Wealth
Programme, Bayo
Solagbade, disclosed this in
Abeokuta, Ogun State capital
at a High Quality Cassava
Peel (HQCP), Market
Linkage Workshop Forum
for feed millers and other
people in cassava value
chain, put together by GIZ-
SEDIN in partnership with
Ogun State government.
Solagbade said, Nigeria is
the largest producer of
cassava in the world, positing
that it grows about 57 million
tonnes annually.
He said, while this rise has
undoubtedly helped to
alleviate hunger in the
country, it creates a mountain
of waste, estimated at 15
million tonnes a year, which
according to him causes
Hall in honour of the visiting
Editors, the governor had
himself said he was willing to
listen to any shortcomings
observed by his guests; again,
none. Quoting some of the
Editors, a report by Thisday
Newspaper said “Uzodinma
was quietly changing the
hitherto infrastructure deficit
associated with Imo State.”
It was my first time of
hearing that Imo was ever so
associated bearing in mind
that some four years earlier,
the state was said to be so
beautiful that it attracted
statutes of international
political icons. Using LED
solar powered streetlights to
bring sparkling illuminations
and shining ambience at
night to Owerri in line with
his‘Rescue Mission
Government’Owelle, Rochas
Okorocha, the then governor
had been described as the best
thing that happened to the
state. The lesson today is that
such descriptions don’t last
because many more enduring
issues are usually left
untreated. For example,
whereas beautiful roads and
buildings are good they can’t
compete with human capital
development. Indeed, the
greatest dividends of
democracy is freedom. This
is why the new wave of using
security operatives to detain
political opponents and
media professionals for their
dissenting opinions or
criticism should worry our
Senior Editors.
The case of Casmir
Uzomah a staff member of the
Orient Radio-Television
Station who was detained for
allegedly playing a song
considered offensive to
governor Uzodinma deserves
some mention. Why would
leaders elected by citizens
allow the breach of the
constitutional injunction
which presumes every such
citizen to be innocent until
proven otherwise? Why do our
leaders deliberately ignore the
constitutional provision
which states that no citizen
should be detained for more
than 48 hours without a court
order? Is detention the
punishment for defamation
and should such punishment
be at the discretion of security
agencies?Last week, President
Akuffo-Addo of Ghana
sacked his finance minister
over corruption allegation
made against him by the
media. Is not intriguing that
if it was Nigeria, the relevant
journalist would have been
accused of treason and
detained by law enforcement
agencies indefinitely?
It is time to worry about the
trend. Who says the allegation
of corruption in the Cross
River Micro Finance Bank
was not true? Why would a
state radio staff play an
offensive music? Who
investigated it and what was
the outcome of such
investigation? What charges
have been brought against the
staff in court and why has it
become a norm to detain
accused persons and send
strong signals to the rest of us
to desist from raising any
observations whatsoever that
may not please any governor?
Why is Nigeria allowing the
type of reported repression of
opponents or journalists in
states such as
Ebonyi?Certainly, journalists
are not above the law, those
who offend should be taken
through the due process of
law. If our Editors who went
to Imo had condemned the
governor for poor work, they
would have been taken up for
not also seeing the good
works. That is how it should
be and we expect the Nigerian
Guild of Editors to review its
Imo visit without taking away
any commendation due to
the governor.
German agency trains 200 on use of cassava peel
for animal feed
By James Ogunnaike
Female innovator fights infant mortality with technology
In a bid to address infant
mortality, Executive
Board Member of Tiny
Hearts Technology,
Ebinepere Orewole, has
introduced a device, Crib
A’glow Device, to reduce infant
mortality rate.
In a chat with Vanguard,
Orewole said she went
against all odds to ensure
sustainable solutions to infant
death with aid of science and
technology.
She said: "I was involved in
strategic decisions. For
instance, at the conceptual
environmental and health
problems.
"This 15 million tonnes of
waste could represent 5
million tonnes of animal feed
and an excellent business
opportunity".
He added that the main
objective of the training was
to train the feed millers how
to convert wet cassava peel
stage of crib aglow, where I
put together a team of
engineers to assess and advise
on product design for the
construction.
“My decision to use my
skills as a business manager/
data analyst, accountant, and
mother to build sustainable
solutions to infant deaths is
the most fulfilling decision I
have made in my life.
“The journey started way
back in 2015 when Tiny
Hearts was founded and the
novel Crib A’glow Device was
designed. Hearing about the
innovation, I volunteered to
into energy-rich, high-quality
animal feed and as well to
convince millers that the
High Quality Cassava Peels
(HQCP), could safely be
included in their feeds.
"Dried fine cassava mash
can be fed to poultry, fish, and
pigs, while the coarser mash
is suitable for cattle, sheep
and goats, and pigs," he said.
From left: Coordinator of the 9 th Foretaste Gospel Concert
Edition, Rotn Otunba Gbemi Oyeneyin; his spouse, Mrs.
Modupe Oyeneyin, (the lead artiste and the concert
sponsor); another artiste, Minister Ejen; her colleague,
Ifeoluwa Akinpelu of the Ife Worships, his colleague, Asatta
Allwell-Brown; and the Media Consultant and Public
Relations Guru, Sir Aramide Tola Noibi at the 9 th Annual of
the Foretaste Gospel Concert Edition held at the Elevation
Church, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos at the weekend
be on the team to support the
innovation with my skills
“ I ensure that the
innovation grew to a
marketable and accessible
product.
“ Protecting our intellectual
property right has over time,
increased the value of the
product and the organisation
even in the global space.
“Driven by my zeal to
improve infant mortality, I
retired from a corporate job
in 2021 so that I can fully
immerse myself in Tiny Heart
activities."