Being very close to the order-of-the-day one must call the attention of this prolific journalist Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity. Garba Shehu is a respected journalist in Nigeria, having held prominent positions in many of our media houses. He was the managing Director of Triumph Publishing Company and had also worked at the New Nigerian Newspapers. He has brought government nearer to the people through his reportage.
Garba Shehu is not the only person defending the Villa, as there is another prolific writer, Mr. Femi Adesina, whose voice of reason justifies the news. Garba Shehu being at the echelon of power and your nearness to the ruling house as repeatedly said, there is a need to debunk the insinuation that the Buhari government has done nothing good since its inception in 2015.
This is a very disturbing issue, as many people do not know this was a fake news. Really, President Buhari with his good intention has composed his cabinet with people that could bring government to the people as ministers and others; these categories of men and women, most of whom are not politicians, consider themselves as special bureaucrats who every government in Nigeria must carry along. So, these may be the people who strangulated the government and blinded the Nigerian public from seeing the good things being done by this administration.
Whenever somebody says his mind about what he believes this government has done and still doing, such people are considered as stooges. Really, the present administration is doing its best judging by its inheritance of many evils from 1985 – 1995. Take the instance of Boko Haram that commenced in 2009; it is now subdued to a minimum compared to 2011 – 2019. Another episode could be the Niger Delta, Biafra agitators, the Bakassi boys, the Oduduwa agitators and now the kidnappers, cattle thieves and so many undesirable groups.
Why can’t one see the bad scenarios of this domestic horror? No government in the whole world could do much if such undesirable gangs of criminals appear from various locations – South-south, South-east, South-west, as well as North-east, North-central and, of course, North-west!
We have to understand that Nigeria is not alone having this terrifying criminality if one is constant in seeing reports from the distant lands like Yemen, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Mali and of course, Chad Republic, Congo and even the yesteryear economic hub Lebanon. All the above countries are sensing a bitter challenge of such undesirable conflicts just as we have been facing. You only curse your country instead of doing the right thing which is hearty prayer.
This is the only way out of this unnecessary terror of conflict that refuses to go away. We pray that no matter how long, by God’s grace these conflicts will be a thing of the past. Having said that, Garba Shehu there is a noble chance by you before the handover to please chat with the outgoing governors about the case of reviving the New Nigerian Newspapers to come to life again with its sister Hausa tabloid Gaskiya Tafi Kwabo.
I wonder Garba Shehu why the whole elected people we had from northern Nigeria never once remembered the best newspaper Nigeria had from 1960 – 2007. It could be recalled that, some people from yonder have been desirous of closing the two respected media houses in Kaduna, namely, New Nigerian Newspapers and Federal Radio Kaduna, but could not achieve it until in 2007, perhaps with the awful collaboration of some northerners.
We can say well done to the existing private media outfits such as Daily Trust and Aminiya all from the same company and of course Blueprint which also publishes Manhaja, a Hausa tabloid; Triumph publishing company that also publishes Hausa tabloid Albishir and the Ajami the Alfijir. One should also thank the management of Leadership Newspapers that also publishes Hausa Leadership. Without these newspaper outfits we would be doomed.
It is therefore advisable to appeal to the northern governors to bring New Nigerian back to life. The Kano state Commissioner for Information, Malam Mohammed Garba, has surely done the needful in this regard. He is backed by the state Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who has done a lot. It is hoped that before May 2023, New Nigerian will come into full force. This piece must thank our northern journalists such as Halilu Getso, Malam Shehu Garba, Malam Muhammadu Garba, Chief Chamba Simeh, Alhaji Sani Zoro and all the chairmen and managing directors of all the outfits, we duly and humbly thank them all.
Please do your best the northern governors and those to be elected from northern Nigeria, especially, the legislators from the 19 states of the North. This is a call to duty and hoping we will not to be sorry for electing those who would only warm their political seats as we have seen since 1999 – 2022. We must see people with commitment like one Abba Abubakar Bichi, a House member from Bichi local government area of Kano state. Thanks sir, hope you will join hands to revive the New Nigerian newspapers, and now.
Comrade Zango,
chairman, Kano Unity Forum,
writes from Kano via 08175472298
