Master Adamu Tilde’s recent academic feat in faraway Szent University Hungary, where he graduated with a Distinction (CGPA 4.98, MSc Animal Biotechnology), is a worthy of commendation. Whoever passes through any higher institution of learning definitely knows the meaning of CGPA 4.98 and knows how/what it takes to obtain that result and the rarities of such.
While I join the Tilde’s family and friends in their felicities, I berate our northern Media outlets for their deafening silence on this. Over the years, what I have come to observe as the dominant feature of our Northern Media outfits is their much-often off handed reportage on the academic excellence of our Northern youths, unlike their southern counterparts who always over-trumpet every single achievement of the students in their region.
And the impression has always been that the “Abokis” and “Gambaris” are airheads. Why because our very own Media are fond of underreporting any of our achievements, they advertise only our ignorance, our diseases, our poverty and illiteracy. They never advert to the world our strengths, our intellects and talents. The stereotype has even transcends the inter-personal relationships, but it also becomes a structural symbiosis. And we are seems quite taken with the sarcastic remarks usually accord to us. Just because southern press propagated the potency of a southerner, an average northerner becomes browbeaten.
Perhaps relative to the relationship between Western Media, Islam and Blacks; is also the relationship between southern press and northern press where the latter allows the former to report for them their own stories.
For example the unparallel academic success of Adetutu Wande (UNILAG), Korede Akinpel (UNILAG), Daniel Dada (UNILAG), and Ewetola Micheal (OAU) is no different from Tilde’s own record of success. But while we were awashed with the Media hype of these students’ performances, Adamu Tilde’s own feat is grossly underreported by the Northern media.
When Ayodele Daniel Dada graduated with 5.00 CGPA in UNILAG, there have been various red carpet receptions for him by Lagos Sate House of Assembly, House of Representatives, individuals and corporate bodies.
Adamu Tilde might be the first Nigerian or Black to have achieved that feats in Hungary, he might have been the best student and he might have won the best Research but he is uncelebrated. He is uncelebrated because the Northern press refuses to trumpet his achievements. In fact we might have thousands of Tildes here in the North who had never been reported.
However, as mentioned earlier, I have a long time belief about the fact that whenever people allow others to report their own stories for them, then they will not only determine its contents, but will write it the way it fits them.
This was corroborated by some Lagos-Ibadan axis online news and tabloid press. When the story of Tilde first broke out by is close friends as “a fellow Almajiri”, these online news misreported the whole story. They change the story to be that Almajiri from Maiduguri. While the term Almajiri is a sort of colloquial expression being used by the Adamu’s friends within their circle. And while the young Adamu hails from Bauchi, but only attended University of Maiduguri.
Until we begin to write our own successes and failures, until we begin to propagate our gift of intellects, until we begin to assert our intellectual prowess, others will write for us the way they deem fit. Congratulations once more Adamu Tilde.
Mukhtar Garba Maigamo,
Kaduna
