Forefront Publisher Slams Northern Elite Over Electorates’ Disconnect, Poor Media Outlook

BY AHMED TUKUR, LAFIA – The Editor-in-Chief of Forefront Magazine and Online News platform, Mr Amos Dunia says the lukewarm attitude and seeming indifference of Northern elite have placed the region on a disadvantaged radar in Nigeria’s ever growing media industry.

He lamented that evident slackness, poor management and lack of tenacity by the northern block to insistently invest in the industry have all combined to make the region destitute with censored public views and discernment.

Dunia, a former Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, made the submission in a presentation titled: “Community Newspaper; Financial Challenges and the Way Forward” during the formal launch of the ‘Thinker’ Online platform held at the NUJ Press Centre in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

He said this awkward development is largely responsible for stories about the north being skewed mostly in favour of their authors who are not from the Zone and therefore have no interest to protect.

“Our entrepreneurs and rich politicians, particularly from the North, though so crazy about publicity, do not invest in the media. And as long as this remains the practice, others will continue to tell their stories in the way and manner they understand it and most often skew or slant the stories to suit their own agenda”, Dunia said.

According to him, the attitude of northern elites towards the media industry has created a wide gap between them and their people, adding; “Most of our wealthy and rich people, particularly politicians, have proven over time that they are more interested in creating a wide gulf between themselves and those they govern.

“It is therefore required that our leaders have a rethink and focus their attention on what matters to the people; have the community as their focus as against their personal egos and pursuit of blind ambitions”.

Mr Dunia, who applauded the Thinker Newspaper’s publisher, Joel Ogapa, for his innovative idea in a competitive media industry, urged him to be resilient and stay focused in driving the community-based newspaper forward.

The veteran journalist also advised him to shun the lure of deviating from the original idea of community reportage to have acceptability within the community.

“In this wise, for the Thinker Newspaper, the key word must be “KISS”, that is; ‘Keep It Simple and Short’ by not engaging in grammatical gyrations that would put the people off

“A community newspaper must be factual, concise and tell the story the way it is and not based on fiction. This is very important owing to the fact that whatever story, you write can and will always be verified by the people who trust each other more than an outsider.”

The Forefront top shot believes that: “Once a community newspaper becomes the people’s property, capital flow would become easy as government at those levels, (the State and Local Governments), would have no choice than to patronize it in getting across to the people through supplements and adverts among other financing sources.”