Crusaderhotnews
By Lucky Efese
The indefinite closure and purported reopening of one of the first premier media houses on the country, the Bendel Newspaper Company Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian observer, Weekend and Sunday Observer Newspapers respectively, by the order of His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Executive Governor of Edo State, with the promise to revamp it within a period of one month from on July 1 2022, has continued to raise concern by stakeholders, especially the media practitioners and public figures in the state who see BNCL as the vision and mission of our founding ancestors, particularly the late political sage and retired military administrator, late Brigadier General (Dr) Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, then the military administrator of the defunct Midwest State, after taken into cognisance the roles of media in nation building, unity and development, established the Frontline medium house on the 28th of May 1968, as an independent profit- making agency of government as well as an institution for research and academic learning.
The late elderstatesman established the BNCL with first class equipments to enable compete with international best practices in terms of news dissemination, information and education to the members of the public, particularly to project the interest and achievements of governments at all levels in the State.
Unarguably, the then Midwest State comprised of the present day Edo and Delta and the publication and subsequent circulation of the Nigerian observer newspaper spanned across the then twelve states of the federation including Lagos, the capital city of Nigeria.
Worthy of note is before the demise of two-time governor of defunct Bendel State, he had repeatedly said it at different fora that his boss, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, the former military head of state, reads the Nigerian observer newspaper in his office at Dodan barrack on Lagos, first thing in the morning as he resumes work before every other newspaper so that he could get viable information about people's opinions regarding his government and that of the component states.
Right from 1968, the Nigerian observer newspaper has not stopped to discharge the purpose of its establishment even during the military junta, it was adjudged as the widely read newspaper in the country after the likes of the Nigerian Tribune Newspaper established by the late elderstatesman and also a political sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Daily Times to mention but few
Despite the military government's imposed decree, the Nigerian observer newspaper still maintained its standard within the confines of the military laws without any blemish and when the country eventually returned to the democratic government in 1999, the expectations of the people, though it have hit the brick wall because of nonchalant attitude arising from selfish interest that the Bendel Newspaper Company would be upgraded to an institution of higher learning where mass communication, journalism, public relations and marketing courses would be adequately taught to enhance intellectual capability of the citizens.
Late Dr Ogbemudia appointed competent manpower to manage and handle the company to achieve it's optimum results and equally purchased circulating vehicles to facilitate easy circulation of the newspaper so that it could get to the appropriate quarters as and when required, explaining that the firmer head of state saw the newspaper as the most competent, intellectually reserved and comprehensively edited and produced to project the interest and achievements of his government and that of the unit states in the country.
Late Dr Ogbemudia did not only established the BNCL to make profit for the government and create jobs for the people alone, but as a citadel of continued academic research and learning for the purposes of exploring one's potentials to bring the newspaper to a reputable level.
It is customary to say that when Chief Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion, assumed leadership position as the Executive Governor of Edo State in 1999, he did his best to strategically revive the dwindling BNCL to achieve fundamental purpose.
The former governor (Chief Igbinedion) from from available facts, is the only indigenous governor apart from the late Dr Ogbemudia and late Professor Ambrose Ali, who had the interest of taking the company to a greater height at heart, I don't think there is any other person.
Chief Lucky Igbinedion, stoutly restructured the medium company by building a world class library for research, recreation and relaxation spot and restaurant and boosted the production equipments with modern tools as well as employing competent personnel especially in the editorial department and across all ministries.
The action governor also pumped in more money for the effective and efficient publication of the newspaper.
It interesting to point out that as a result of the intellectual standard of the newspaper, especially before the advent of democracy in 1999, prominent Edo born indigenes have had key interest in the newspaper.
Distinguished among them was our most revered Oba of blessed memory, who will forever be remembered and appreciated for his intellectual and exemplary leadership prowess, civil and liberal dispositions as well as being magnanimous to the kingdom and humanity, His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa CFR, usually reads the newspaper as the first newspaper in his palace, a development which gave credence to the company.
It is historic to note that Oba Erediauwa CFR, being an international standard bearing lawyer, each time he is reading through the newspaper, always under line any areas which either has grammatical errors or a statement which is not intelligently put on place and communicate such errors to the editorial department, for corrections.
The BNCL, remained absolutely respected in the media world till when the tenure of Chief Lucky Igbinedion expired in 2007 and for the facts that Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, had a very turbulent time in government as he only spent eighteen months before the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City sacked him from office over what was regarded as electoral fraud, could not do anything to the company.
But on the 12th of November 2008, when former governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole now a senator representing Edo North in the red chambers of the national assembly, Abuja, took over the mantle of leadership as the executive governor of the state, the expectations of the people were as a man whose leadership at the Nigeria Labour Congress, as the national president for a two-term of eight years, was protected and projected by the media, would take a holistic approach to elevate the level of the company by keying into the transformational and restructuring legacies of his predecessors on office, but to no avail.
It is amazing that former governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole's legal battle with Prof Osunbor of the People Democratic Party, PDP, received boost during the pendency of the election tribunal as his activities and interest in the fight for restoration of his stolen mandate were projected by the Nigerian observer newspaper, among others, even though he later treated the company with ignominy over a publication against his person before he assumed the position of a governor in the state.
Suffice to say unequivocally that Governor Oshiomhole, for eight years in office did not strategically focus on BNCL by a way of restructuring to compete with the likes of The Vanguard, The Punch, The Sun, The Nation, The Nigerian Tribune Newspapers and even The Pointer Newspaper of our sister state, Delta, which was revived with huge sum of amount of money by former governors, Chief James Ibori, Dr Emmanuel Uduanghan and most recently, the immediate past governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
As the chairman of the Economic Team under former governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for eight years and coupled with his status as a Benin son, one would have expected His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki, to drastically take the bull by the horns immediately after he assumed the position of a governor of the state in 2016.
Retrospectively, at a point during the administration of now senator Oshiomhole as the Executive Governor, it was speculated that some persons wanted to sell the BNCL, but that plans were botched by the religious intervention of Oba Erediauwa CFR, being the pride and asset of the Edo people, in fact may Oba Erediauwa CFR continues to have a peace of mind wherever he would be, Amen.
Most worrisome is that the Edo people, especially those from the Edo South, who became elated as Governor Obaseki stepped in as the executive governor, later became despondent by the policy of this administration.
Though there were administrative lapses in the company prior to the intervention of Mr governor, which later snowballed to immediate closure of the company and forceful stoppage of newspaper publishing vide a circular issued on behalf of his Excellency by the secretary to the Edo State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq to that effect.
Whereas students from institutions of higher learning across the country, particularly the mass communication students who want to major in print journalism, are always posted by their school management to BNCL, for their Industrial Training programmes, where they developed both in character and proficiency in learning for societal transformation.
For one year now, The Nigerian observer newspaper, has gone into oblivion as the only aspect of the news projection and dissemination that is currently in place is the online version of the company .
The salient question which needs a cogent answer to assuage the mind of the people is how many people have flair for online news reporting?
The most dehumanizing aspect of the entire episode is how could you imagine a professional journalists have become incapacitated and lost his/her potentials to the whims and caprices of government.
Well I salute the courage and tireless efforts of the Senior Adviser to Mr Governor on media projects for sustaining the temple of the online version.
More grease to your elbow.
However the total ban on the newspaper publication is an idea which has been misconceived because people have lost faith in the Nigerian observer newspaper.
For one year of it closed down,the BNCL, has not only lost it values in terms of having the most competent editorial, but has also lost it plethora of customers across the country who hitherto look onto the newspaper to renew their lost hope in the areas of publishing verifiable news reporting.
Less down two years to the end of this present administration in the state and what hope for the revival of the Nigerian observer newspaper?
While I acknowledge the developmental dispositions of his Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki in terms of infrastructures, because there is no doubt that Mr Governor is an architect, whose passion for structural building is set to comfort civil servants in carrying out their duties, I also make bold to state categorically that if professionals are not refreshing their memories, they become stagnant in handling competitive responsibilities in the areas of media especially being the fourth estate of the realm.
Secondly, there were so many persons who derive pleasures in writing as contributors in the areas of health, education, banking and finance, agriculture, commerce, politics and entertainment for their well being and for one year of non existence of the Nigerian observer newspaper, all they have been teaching and yet to teach the public have extinguished from their memories because we were taught that the roles of the media is to educates, informs and entertains among others .
My Excellency, Communities' activities in the state before now were published in the Nigerian observer newspaper to the extent that those in diaspora usually request for it to know what is going on their various communities.
My advice to Mr Governor even against all odds if need be is to work out modalities to revive, revamp, reinvigorate and resuscitate the BNCL with the charge to those who will be appointed to oversee the affairs to go into revenue drive so that there will be transparency and accountability in the management to enable start publishing its conventional newspaper which has remained the hallmark of the media profession among this generation and yet unborn.
This advice has become imperative and particularly against the backdrop of the lacuna in journalism practice which the publishing of the newspaper had created because it has remained and it remains the watch dog of the government of Edo
Your pragmatic efforts will further rejuvenate the lost confidence in your administration because power is transient.
It is incumbent to say vividly that his Excellency has established a template which your successor will key in especially in the areas of infrastructural developments in the state which needs to be sustained with all sense of humility, more importantly now you have creditably won majority seats in the state house of assembly.
My Excellency sir, don't allow yourself be distracted by sycophants whose daunting ideas are self centered
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