Investigative journalism or Award ceremonies, Music Jamboree and fashion,

Gone are those days, when you hear that a journalist is been locked up, jailed and killed for a standing on what he believes to be a thorough investigative journalism. An unforgotten example is the case of dele giwa, who was murdered for what he believed and lived for in Journalism. The old method of reporting, analytical, undercover and exploratory journalism is now replaced with award ceremonies, music jamborees and fashion shows.
The new method of doing the business of journalism now is called award ceremonies, pop music concerts and fashion show extravaganza which always make newspapers proprietors “stinkingly rich” with the FrontPage lead of the national newspaper advertising and announcing that you are organizing an award ceremonies for companies, government “parastatals” and agencies. With the aim of attracting private companies, government agencies rushing to advertise in such a newspaper. That is why winners of such awards end up negotiating advertising contracts with such newspapers. The Nigerian journalism that is used to be the freest and the most professional in Africa with a long history of challenging the colonial and military dictatorship has been badly damaged and “battered” the integrity of investigative journalism.
Recalling those days, when the late president Mobutu Sese Seko of the then Zaire (now called the Republic of Congo) seek to withdraw his country’s diplomat from Nigeria because of a newspaper articles criticizing him. Newspaper writing has come a long way in Nigeria from the old days of late Dr Nnamdi Azikwe’s “west African Pilot” to Babatunde Jose’s leadership of “Daily Times of Nigeria,” plus their gritty clash against colonialism in Nigeria. To the fond memories of the last days of Late M.K.O Abiola’s Concord newspapers with Editors like late Dele Giwa,Ray Ekpu and Yakubu Mohammed and their moral position against corrupt civilian regime of the second republic even when their proprietor was part of that government.
During the Abacha and Babangida years, the tone of the Nigerian masses could be heard loud and clear from such publications such as Guardian Newspapers, Tell Magazine, The News and of course the Hydra indomitable Tempo magazine.
Though I was still a primary school boy by then, but the echoes of our Heroes in Nigerian Journalism are all written in the sands of Times. The veteran Editors of the past newspapers were arrested for speaking the truth to power, Sympathizers talked to their proprietors of those Newspapers to turn into soldiers barracks by a preemptive strike of the military junta.
Today, we are in the four republics, where all diverse corrupt practices and carnage hunting our land, nation, country and her citizens, but the Nigerian newspaper writers seem to have annulled and split up with the Nigerian masses for the love of filthy lucre, wealth and riches. Those days the word integrity is hardly found on any news medium and if analytical journalism is still on holiday, and then you will get a better opportunity to finding Investigative reporting from online news media such as The Times of Nigeria, Sahara Reporters, and NigeriaVillageSquare.com. Talk about financial and professional limitations of some of the Medias created by Nigerians in Diaspora that have exposed more corruptions in Nigeria than the Mainstream media in Nigeria. Its may not surprise you that you will get more breaking news from these medium than the mainstream Media in Nigeria.
Can we say that the mainstream media in Nigeria has been completely emasculated and castrated by its foolish approach to investigative newspaper writing? Today we are in the days, when we refer the news media as if they are still in the realm of the second republic, where they depend on foreign based online investigate journal for news break.
Some of the limitations of these foreign based news media are under-funded, and some of them literally had to beg for fund from their online readers to continue their publications.
Infact the life-span of these online media is short and ubiquitous; they are here and gone tomorrow, because of their inaccurate report, which has been more harmful than good. Their myriads of report is a hard earned image that is always flawed because of opposing politicians who used these media to destroy other reputation.
With no chance given to their subject to comment on their online journals, some of their online response forms do not work and many attempt to contact the editors of these online media by emails, which does not work.
The prominent newspaper in the mainstream media in Nigeria normally lead its front-page with announcement of an award ceremonies organized by it banks or governors or government agencies. Recently a major prominent newspaper in the mainstream media in Nigeria had its front-page leads with fashion and musical shows as if we don’t have a war going on at the Niger Delta. It is as if Nigeria is suddenly an “Eldorado” for American Hip Hop and Rap Artist. The fact that the richest Nigeria news medium today makes its profit from glossy reprints of photos of corrupt Nigerian politicians celebrating their birthday and new wives in London speaks volume about the decadence in our mainstream media.
In a country, where millions lost their lives through re-occurring pipeline disasters and armed robbers roam about the streets with boldness, where the police officers “run for cover” at the next street, 60 percent of Nigeria’s national revenue cannot be accounted for, in a country where road accidents claim lives in dozens everyday and the newspaper industry still has chance to promote American Artiste such as Beyonce, Jay Z and others. Majority of the circus shows are usually mixed with Nigerian Musicians and the so called fashion Moguls and Models that are based abroad.
While the homemade artiste are badly remunerated and treated shabbily during these concert. Sometimes the newspapers fabricate quarrels between the homemade artiste and the American Artiste and tell us stories about their scuffle. While all these are happening, thousands of Nigerians who are graduating from colleges, Higher Institution are looking for a place to call their workplace.
Majority of the Nigerian newspaper still organizes banks/bankers award and the stupidity inborn in these award ceremonies is funny, when they try to ignore the dragging economy inflicted on Nigerians by these “glorified Trading Companies” and “bureau de change” called Nigerian Banks. Meanwhile in the secret they lobby over there selves over these fake awards. Still after winning these awards, they don’t contribute to the Nigerian Economy, other than to join hands to push the Nigerian currency down and aid corrupt politicians in tapping money out of Nigeria to South Africa and Caribbean banks.
Now is the time to create, develop and encourage and patronize online investigative magazines, journals and forum, because they will serve as a replacement for the decaying art of journalism in Nigeria. The impact of U.S online alternatives media and blogs such as dailykos.com, drudge.com and freerepublic.com on American Politicians and Political parties should portray as an example to the Nigerian masses and their African counterparts that the old media is no longer adequate in the fight against dictatorship and marginalization of certain tribe in the present dispensation. No room is left for anyone to hide, for politicians and ex-political leaders who have made their pocket rich and comfortable through the deceits of their selfish type of leadership.
So wherever you read an analytical, exclusive piece of an online investigative journal of Nigeria, Thank the Editors and laud them for more courage and pray for more grace to their elbows, but when they make mistakes, rebuke them, but don’t join the others in throwing the baby away in the bath water. This is a call to stand for the truth and justice .in our land and eschew continued celebration of mediocrity and corruption in the defense of Nigerian Democracy.