WNTV BLAZED THE TRAIL FOR NON-PARTISAN JOURNALISM IN NIGERIA!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System From a Godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church Kpeyegyi Abuja Nigeria {Vol. 8.NO 325. 3rd November, 2019.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32). . PRAY & FAST EVERY WEDNESDAY TO STOP BLOODSHED IN NIGERIA!

WNTV BLAZED THE TRAIL FOR NON-PARTISAN JOURNALISM IN NIGERIA!
The 60th anniversary celebration of WNTV, first Television Station in the continent of Africa on Thursday, 31st October, 2019, at Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, Nigeria, has no doubt ignited fresh hopes and enthusiasm that the age-long rating of prestigious/highly-rated profession of journalism now being threatened through the dissemination of fake news and hate speeches from the uncensored SOCIAL MEDIA portals could still be redeemed!

Of recent, disappointed and disgruntled politicians had taken to the social media to disparage all achievements of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in the areas of security, economy and war against corruption, since 2015, through distortion of facts and figures on the social media where authors identities were hidden with pseudo names!
However it is gratifying that the present administration is very much alert to uncover the fifth columnists behind the clandestine moves and speedily bring them to justice according to the Minister of Information and Culture who took advantage of several fora to announce that the APC-led Federal Government, would not fold its arms and watch the unfolding scenario degenerate into chaos or anarchy!

ANTECEDENTS OF WNTV!
Corporate Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), the brain-child of late sage, Chief Jeremiah Oyeniyi Obafemi Awolowo, (GCFR), Premier of the then Western Region Action Group Government, which debuted on 31st October, 1959,  shortly before Nigeria's independence in the following year, symbolized the patriotic capacity of a leader who strongly believed in the educational emancipation of the people as the greatest legacy that could be bequeathed to posterity! Before that epoch event, Chief Awolowo, an erudite lawyer, a great philosopher, an outstanding patriot and de-tribalized Nigerian, whose colossal image transcended his generation, had in 1955, introduced FREE PRIMARY EDUCATION for all residents in Western Region, irrespective of tribe, tongue, caste, place of birth, religion or region and today eminent and very successful Nigerians from all geo-political zones, who benefited from Pa Awolowo's educational largesse, have proudly broadcast his benevolence at every opportunity or occassion with much pride and well wishes to the memory of this great leader of all times!

WNTV was not only first in Africa, but a trail-blazer ahead of some European countries of Netherlands (1960), New Zealand (1960), Ireland (1961), China (1962), Malta (1962), Greece (1966), Canada (1967), Federal Government of Nigeria's NTA (1975); and it was not surprising that Vice President and other eminent dignitaries graced the symbolic august occasion in Ibadan, seat and headquarters of the station in Oyo State, In a tweet to commemorate the day, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor 'Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), reminiscence that exactly 60 years ago, late Premier of Western Region. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, then flanked by Governor General, Sir John Rankine, Chief Anthony Enahoro and Chief T.T. Solaru, formally entered the history books by inaugurating the Western Nigeria Television, first in Africa, adding, " we celebrate what is possible".

WESTERN NIGERIA TELEVISION (WNTV), AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL!
According to Wikipedia citation, WNTV was created as a partnership between the Western Regional Government and a foreign firm, Overseas Rediffusion and designed to be an educational tool for the masses and also a medium to beam local culture, foreign news/aims and objectives of government's social contract with the people in that region. It was also revealed that the, "Establishment of the station was enhanced by a Constitutional change which removed broadcasting from an exclusive item to a concurrent item and political resolution of the Regional Premier, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Regional Minister of Information, Chief Anthony Enahoro!" WNTV, later re-named Nigeria Television Authority (NTA, Ibadan), following its acquisition by the Federal Government which in 1975, established its network of TV Stations across Nigeria in a sweeping move to educate the entire population, was studded with well-qualified, well-educated, professional, articulate, sagacious and obsessively-patriotic journalists whose pedigrees and antecedents were unquestionable!

MUST LOFTY IDEALS OF GREAT MINDS BE RUBBISHED THROUGH FAKE NEWS, HATE SPEECHES?
These days, you don't have to be a trained journalist to express opinions, comments or publish your views in the print, electronic or social media in Nigeria because the existing internet platforms of the 21st Century are very porous and accommodative to all comers irrespective of low education, training or exposure! Prior to now, especially in the years preceding and few years into independence (1950-1966), the Nigerian Press enjoyed much respect and prestige because of the pedigree of practitioners, authenticity of news, quality of published articles, commentaries, documentaries and the richness of editorial opinions of that era.
Those were the hey-days of respectable media practitioners and great personalities like the late Herbert Macaulay, late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, late Babatunde Jose, late Anthony Enahoro, late Bisi Onabanjo, late Alade Odunewu, late Adamu Ciroma; Mrs. Theresa Ogunbiyi, octogenarian Lateef Jakande, Peter Enahoro, Sam Amuka etc, who all blazed the trail in professional and qualitative journalism of the 20th Century Nigeria! Those journalists of great repute articulated social engagements to inform, educate and entertain the citizens with vital information of government policies/activities as they affected them, demanded for accountability to the people because they were fearlessly to published the truth even in that colonial era!

HAS THE NIGERIAN PRESS GONE TO ROOST?
Now that that the nation has experienced 20 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, why is the Nigerian Media not on full throttle as the true Watchdog and defender of the defenceless citizens according to their constitutional obligations in Chapter II Section 22 & Chapter IV Section 39? The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), should carry out an urgent FORENSIC AUDIT to fish out not only MERCENARY journalists in their ranks, but also, FAKE broadcast, print or electronic media establishments which are being sponsored by drowning renegade politicians who were bent to destroy all economic gains of the nation because they were not in the saddle! The corporate media should realize by now through investigative engagements that its ranks have been infiltrated by mercenaries who work for the highest bidders to heat up the polity especially in the past FOUR years when failed politicians could no longer loot the TREASURY which they converted into Automatic Teller Machines (ATM), between 1999-2015! THEY ARE THE ENEMIES WITHIN - WHO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE UNCENSORED SOCIAL MEDIA TO PERPETRATE EVIL! THEY HAVE TO BE STOPPED!

NIGERIAN BROADCASTING COMMISSION (NBC) VERSUS AFRICAN INDEPENDENT TELEVISION (AIT)!
The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), is the regulatory body of all broadcast establishments in Nigeria and since part of its responsibilities also include control and discipline of erring licensees of the broadcasting industry, it was high time sentiment was cast aside for the law to take its course against defaulters of the provisions of the NBC Act Cap N 11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and the broadcasting code! It is no longer secret that African Independent Television (AIT), and Ray Power, the twin broadcast stations, owned by PDP Chieftain, Raymond Dokpesi, had been arrowheads of reckless dissemination of fake news and hate speeches against the person of President Buhari, APC Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, during the events leading to the 2015 General Elections and thereafter till date and have refused to repent, because they have evaded requisite punishments that should have been meted to serve as deterrent to their ilk’s! In spite of the fact that TWO court cases against AIT were withdrawn by President Buhari and Chief Tinubu in 2016, the stations continued to heat up the polity through licentious broadcasts and on 6th June 2019, EIGHT days after the fresh second term mandate of the APC, the duo broadcast stations had to be shut down and suspended indefinitely from any form of broadcast in Nigeria! AIT in particular was defaulted for being partisan; airing an unprofessional presidential documentary of a matter pending before a tribunal, inability to pay its fees as at when due; and using divisive and inciting  contents from the SOCIAL MEDIA!

URGENT MEASURES TO STOP THE MENACE!
WE suggest that because the broadcast stations have had previous opportunities to redeem whatever was left of their tainted image and had refused, fresh forensic investigation should be conducted by a combined synergy of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Director of State Security (DSS), and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), to unravel if AIT & Ray Power were still not the brains behind the continuous torrents of FAKE NEWS AND HATE SPEECHES on the social media! Unlike WNTV, AIT/RAY POWER, which is just 25 years in existence, "is patently partisan - and, especially in the last two years - it decided to conduct its activities in a manner detrimental to national interest as if it was beyond regulatory direction of NBC by heating up the polity through the habit of using the channel to fight its personal battles contrary to the statutory requirements of the law" says the Commission. The NBC monitoring reports also claimed that the following divisive comments accredited to the segment of Kakaki, tagged "Kakaki Social", which were inciting were as follows:
(1) 'Nigeria is cursed', 'we declare independent state of Niger Delta', 'Nigeria irritates me', 'this country is gradually Islamising'; other similar slogans were also used without editorial control in breach of the broadcast code!
WAS THIS THE KIND OF FREE PRESS AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA THAT NUJ ADVOCATED FOR DURING THEIR MEDIATION OF REPRIEVE ON BEHALF OF AIT?

"When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands." (Job. 22:29-30). THE MASSES MUST BE DELIVERED FROM THIS DELIBERATE AFFRONT OF AIT/ RAY POWER AGAINST THEIR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS TO RIGHTEOUS GOVERNANCE!

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. G-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.