The print media industry in Kwara State last Saturday celebrated the birth of a new medium, Fresh Insight Newspaper. UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB reports
It was a moment of joy and excitements in Ilorin, Kwara State capital last Saturday when a Kwara based tabloid, Fresh Insight Newspaper was offi cially presented to the public. From the turnout of the audiences and comments made by guests at the forum, it was clear that the paper has gained a wide acceptance from the reading public in the state since it hit the newspaper stand two years ago. And for the publisher, it was indeed a glorious day for a young man who took the bull by the horn and decided to walk through the dangerous path of investigative journalism. New kid on the block For the people of the state, it was another ray of hope as the paper is believed to be another platform for them to express their feeling. With the birth of Fresh Insight, the number of newspaper based in the state had increased to four. Prior to the coming of the paper, the state can only boast of three newspapers namely Th e Herald being publish by the Kwara State Printing and Publishing Company, National Pilot newspaper and Moon Light newspaper. Th e state has also in recent time witnessed the birth of new Radio stations. Th e latest on the list of existing ones are Sobi 101.9 Fm and Albarika Fm, all situated within, Ilorin the Kwara state capital. A development which the a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in the state, Barrister Iyiola Oyedepo, acknowledged had made opposition to thrive in the state. Oyedepo spoke at the weekend at the formal presentation of “Fresh Insight”, an Ilorin- based newspaper published by Abdulrasheed Akogun, held in Ilorin. Voice of opposition From right: Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara state Governor (Media and Communications), Dr. Muideen Akorede, Publisher, Fresh Insight Newspaper, Mr. Abdulrasheed Akogun and Financier, SOBI 101.9 FM Ilorin Mr. Lukman Mustapga at the unveiling of the paper Photo: Umar Bayo Abdulwahab Features The print media industry in Kwara State last Saturday celebrated the birth of a new medium, Fresh Insight Newspaper. UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB reports When you select leader, ensure you select those with fear of God, those who can look back and say sorry whenever they have committed wrong against you Th e ex-PDP chairman admittance to freedom of speech in the state was against the earlier position of the chairman of the occasion, Engineer Kamil Dauda, who posited that the voice of opposition was lost in the state. Dauda had noted that the opposition stood better chance in 2015 general elections to unseat the state political structure but blew it because of individual ambition and interest. But Oyedepo disagreed with him on the allegation that the opposition had been tamed in the state, saying the PDP was exploring freedom of speech as enshrined in the constitution to sensitize the citizens through “PDP Lo gbode”, its routine radio programme. “Th ere is opposition in Kwara State contrary to what the chairman of the occasion said. He also said that military administration was best thing to have happened to the state with civilian government doing nothing. I want to disagree with him on that. At least, I was in government, we did our best for the state. So, our chairman is not correct with his assertion. “He also said that opposition has lost its voice in the state. It is absolutely not true. Th ere is freedom of speech. Th at there is freedom of speech in Kwara, is the best thing that could have happened to opposition. If we do not have it, then there would not be “PDP Logbode” on radio”, Oyedepo said. Th e chairman of the occasion had told the gathering that the successive governments after military in Kwara State had not done much to change the fortunes of the state, explaining that things were going worse, especially in the area of education. He also expressed fear on the alarming rate of crime in the state and maintained that the problem occurs because youths were not fully engaged. Dauda challenged the electorate to be wise in the forthcoming election by exercising their mandate without fear or favour. “When you select leader, ensure you select those with fear of God, those who can look back and say sorry whenever they have committed wrong against you”, he said. Th e chairman of the event, who enjoined the publisher of the newspaper to focus more investigate journalism and uphold the truth at all times, applauded him for striving to make a diff erence in media industry. Investigative journalism and mockery In his review of the newspaper, a former Commissioner for Information and Home Aff airs in the state, Alhaji Abdulraheem Adedoyin, called for caution in journalism practice, saying there was need to diff erentiate between ‘‘investigative journalism and mockery’’. He also urged the publisher of “Fresh Insight” to make the newspaper more appealing through editorial content. “We have come to a period that we need to look at business side of the newspaper to be able to sustain the publication. But we need to diff erentiate between investigative journalism and mockery. We need to draw a line between what is investigative and what appeals to people. “I want to appeal to the publisher to look at the editorial appeal of the paper and publish stories that will make people to want to read your paper. It is also important that the editorial must be balanced. You also need to uphold integrity. You must personify integrity. It has to do with publishing fact and stand by it”, Adedoyin said. Unethical practice in media Unveiling of the newspaper, the Senior Special Assistant to the state Governor on Media and Communications, Dr Muyideen Femi Akorede, warned against unethical practice in media profession,noting that investigative journalism does not amount to antagonism. He however called on wellmeaning to do Kwarans and Nigerians to encourage the publisher to be able to sustain the publication. In his speech, the publisher of Fresh Insight, Abdulrasheed Akogun, said the paper came to unearth and publish what is true to the reading public, declaring that journalistic instinct stimulated him to continue with the publication in spite of daunting challenges.
