President-Elect And the Media
“Nigerians need a close-up picture of Alhaji Shehu Shagari: Pictures in words and photographs. Does he have a family, swim or play squash?”
You may not believe it, but the place to get the best reporting on the proceedings of the Presidential Election Tribunal, which sat in Lagos, was the Evening Times publication. The reporting was done by Chinaka Fyneconutry who was made famous in the mid-60s by his coverage of the crime beat for the Daily Times. He left the paper for one year to serve as the News Editor for the Nigerian Tide. He has since returned to the Daily Times group as the News Editor for the Evening Times. Fyneconutry’s reporting of the tribunal was all the more interesting because he had a pre-noon deadline, meaning he must return to the office by 11.30 and get out his copy by 12 or thereabout. Asked if he wrote in shorthand, Eynecountry said he didn’t. “I write long hand, but I write fast.” He was asked the question because of the readable blow-by-blow account of the exchange between Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his counsel at the tribunal.
Also, his reporting featured quite quotes. It was fascinating to stand behind him as he leafed through his notebook to write his story directly on the typewriter in his fast, two-fingered staccato typing. Fascinating because few reporters around are able to write stories directly on the typewriter as they should. As for the hearings themselves, the tribunal threw out Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s petition seeking nullification of the election of Alhaji Shehu Shagari as the president. The tribunal gave a clear judgment on the petition holding to the Federal Electoral Commission’s (FEDECO) ordinary interpretation of what in its view constitutes two –third of 19 and athous lawyers for Chief Awolowo immediately indicated their intention to appeal the tribunal’s judgment, FEDECO’S declaration of Alhaji Shagari as the president stands. Right enough, the media
Years is in Shagari’s hands. And the press has a duty to start sniffing around his house in Victoria Island to get a view of what he will do with it. Someone ought to catch him and get his view on the far reaching decisions being made by the out-going military government. Will he try to amend any of them all? Nigerians need a close-up picture of Alhaji Shehu Shagari: pictures in words and photographs. It is not good enough that the photographs of the president-elect still used in the media are those of him showing him in snooze or showing him as a listless man. Indeed, all the pictures of him used in the media should not be more than seven days old. One other thing. Does he have a family? Does he have children? Women editors should tell the nation the answers to these questions. Does he swim or play squash? Feature editors should find out and write the answers. Does he have a press office where reporters can go to get answer to question? Do his press officers understand that they should start inviting journalists for daily briefing on the activities of the president elect? All these should be in place or should have been in place. The president will need the press more than any military head of state did.
All In A Day’s Work
Mrs. Cordelia Eke works with the Nigerian Television Authority. She was seven months pregnant. One Sunday afternoon, she was driving out with her husband, Ralph, and their two-year-old daughter, Uche, in Lagos. Suddenly, Ralph Eke said he saw a Honda Accord heading for their car, a two-week-old Mercedes 200. But it was too late. Before he could get out of the way, the Honda driver rammed into passenger side of the car. The impact force open the door where Mrs. Eke was sitting and threw her down from the car. Mr. Eke fought to control the car that was rolling back and threatening the prostrate woman. When the car came to stop, Mr. Eke came out and sat down on the curb, believing that his wife had been killed. But the woman called out that she was alive and the husband rushed to carry her in his arms. He took her to the hospital. After the initial shock, the woman and the child in her stomach were pronounced well. Meanwhile, the errant driver took off.
©Daily Times, September 12, 1979
(Pp.43-45)
