Nigeria elections and its Press

The state of our Nigeria journalism and their report card during the just concluded general elections. 

Lazy is the adjective I will use to describe the media both print and television. They failed in all the headings used to judge; education, explanation and entertainment of the nation. It failed to educate the population. Reading the press one is astonished at the lack of information. The headlines usually have no bearing to the thrust of the stories. They were just happy to repeat baseless rumours and became a rumour mill for mischief makers. People in Nigeria just wake up in the morning and without basis or foundation, ring a known journalist with a story of how so much money was stolen. This fire is also heated up by social media press whose irresponsibility knows no bounds. The climate of impunity was not just for government officials but also the forth estate, the press. Mud is thrown, hope and it usually does, sticks. Real scandals are not investigated to give justice to the people and the story. 

The quality of the writings leaves much to be desired. Bad grammar, use of inappropriate words, using Latin phases to indicate their level of intelligence but unintelligible to their audience. Listening to commentators and presenters on TV, they usually just spoken to themselves without regards to the audience. 

Their attitude to politicians usually was tell us dear leader, what you have for the people and your presence glorifies us. It's toe's crawling. The politicians will reel out platitudes and rumours about their opponents without robust challenge. The governor of Rivers state alleged on national TV that an opponent took contract money and never completed the contract nor refunded the money, billions of Naira. That was a full stop and next question. He also boasted of a clear unconstitutional action. He had taken up the management of primary schools, which is within the responsibilities of the local government not of the state, again no follow up question of who died and made you king. Gapping goals, just waiting for a tap in and over the bar consistently. 

The government press are just town criers for the government of the day. 

The elections and its procedures were never properly explained to the populace by the press. And all you had to do was just read out the INEC website to achieve this goal, again no tapping into an open goal. 

The opposition candidate, GMB got away from a debate rather than boycott all of his press activities until he came to the debate the Press as a body ran with its tail within its legs. Reason being, they also gave a pass to the President in 2011. 

Politicians were allowed and I dear say, encouraged to speak from both sides of mouths and backsides if it made their points. 

There was no pretence to educate the nation on its politics. The presidential spokesmen were allowed to turn press engagement to religious pronouncements. I kicked myself hearing it was in God's hands. That was get their out of jail card played over and over again by all colours and shades of politicians. 

Watching and reading the Press in Nigeria was and is a sight to behold. They failed in the assigned mission. 

Solutions. Retrain all and sundry from editors to reporters. They must check, check and recheck their sources and stories before they print. They must resist the easy temptation of printing wholesale what they see in social media. Social media has limited audience while the Press has mass audience and not allow the tail to wag the dog.