By Simeon Nwakaudu<\/p>\n
Some days ago, two major national newspapers led in the publication of
\ntotal falsehood against the Government and People of Rivers State.\u00a0 The
\nNation and Daily Trust Newspapers.\u00a0 The Reporters of the two newspapers
\nreported that the Rivers State Government through the Ministry of Urban
\nDevelopment and Physical Planning had demolished the Trans-Amadi Mosque.
\nThis was the worst form of falsehood, with the capacity\u00a0 to inflame
\ntensions.<\/p>\n
Daily Trust , a pro-North Newspaper and The Nation, a Pro- APC Newspaper
\nquoted one Alhaji Abdullahi Musa Tobaco, as claiming\u00a0 that the Rivers
\nState Government demolished the Trans Amadi Central Mosque. It was this
\npremeditated and mischievous falsehood that several misinformed groups
\nlatched onto.<\/p>\n
The falsehood by The Nation and Daily Trust which almost misled the
\nentire country exposes the fundamental challenge facing journalism in
\nthe country today.<\/p>\n
For a matter as sensitive as religion, these reporters made no attempt
\nto cross check their facts. As senior journalists covering Port
\nHarcourt, the country’s headquarters of oil and gas, they refused to go
\nto the site of the demolition.\u00a0 Their editors never requested for
\npictorial evidence of the said demolished Mosque.<\/p>\n
Instead, both newspapers concocted photographs\u00a0 to illustrate the
\nfalsehood.\u00a0 They set the online space on fire and waited patiently\u00a0 for
\nthe country to burn. The truth frustrated their deadly scheme.<\/p>\n
If you ask me, this was not a mere error of judgment on the part of the
\nReporters and their Newspapers.\u00a0 If it was, they would have apologised
\nsince the truth came to light.<\/p>\n
None of the originators of this false report has been called to order by
\ntheir Newspapers . They will be encouraged\u00a0 to carry out this line of
\nfalse journalism next time.
\nThe location of the disputed land is accessible by well constructed
\nRoad. Yet they displayed journalistic laziness and relied on the words
\nof one Alhaji Tobacco.\u00a0 They rushed to break a sensitive\u00a0 news without
\ncaring to investigate\u00a0 the facts.
\nGovernor Wike personally took some journalists to the location and they
\nsaw that no Mosque existed there. The video evidence has been widely
\ncirculated, both online and on national television.
\nOf course, reactions to this falsehood by these Newspapers have come in
\nvarious forms.\u00a0 But some politicians\u00a0 with waning careers\u00a0 have seen
\nthis misinformation as a means of attracting\u00a0 cheap attention.<\/p>\n
The bone of contention was the definition of the status of land title
\nthat the illegal developers claimed to have. The Court ruled\u00a0 that the
\ntitle in the possession\u00a0 of the illegal developers cannot be superior to
\nthe State Government title on the said land.<\/p>\n
Despite not having any approval, they started petty fencing and digging
\nup of trenches, but there was no Mosque at the said location.\u00a0 Those
\nclaiming the existence of a Mosque\u00a0 should provide\u00a0 the pictorial and
\nvideo evidence of the Mosque before the Rivers State Government
\nintervened.<\/p>\n
The decision to\u00a0 stop work on the site was taken, officials of the
\nRivers State Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning met
\nwith those illegally excavating a foundation on the said land and
\ndirected them to stop work in line with earlier notices served on them.<\/p>\n
The issue of trying to get an approval to construct a Mosque on the said
\nland started in 2012. There was no approval given for the construction
\nof a Mosque.
\nJustice G.O Omereji of the Rivers State High Court ruled that the
\ndisputed land belongs\u00a0 to the Rivers State Government.\u00a0 This was in
\n2018. The judgment\u00a0 followed a suit filed by the Registered Trustees of
\nTrans-Amadi Mosque, Port Harcourt. They had approached the Rivers State
\nHigh Court in Port Harcourt in February 2012, after the\u00a0 then Governor
\nChibuike Rotimi Amaechi Administration through the Rivers State Ministry
\nof Urban Development and Physical Planning stopped them from erecting\u00a0 a
\nstructure on the disputed Government land without approval.<\/p>\n
Justice Omereji held that: “The Statement\u00a0 of Defence and the evidence
\nof the defendants two witnesses show that the land, the subject matter
\nof this suit is State Land\u00a0 acquired for public purpose by the Eastern
\nRegion of Nigeria in 1959 under the Public Acquisition law as evidenced
\nby the Certificate of Title dated 27th Day of June, 1961 Registered as
\nNumber 26 on Page 26 in Volume\u00a0 2 of the Land Registry, Enugu, now in
\nPort Harcourt and whose assets the Rivers State Government inherited
\nwhich is Exhibit K.<\/p>\n
“The evidence also show\u00a0 that the claimants had no approval from the
\nRivers State Government to make use of the said land, prior to the use
\nof the land for any religious or other purposes and that the defendants
\ndid not destroy any property belonging to the claimants.<\/p>\n
“The said area where the claimants uses for religious activities falls
\nwithin the area acquired by the Rivers State Government as in the
\nExhibit K. The evidence shows that the claimants acquired nothing from
\nChief Dr Edward S. Amadi since Chief Edward S. Amadi cannot give what he
\ndoes not have because\u00a0 the land in dispute has been acquired and has
\nbeen State land since 1959”.<\/p>\n
It is rather disheartening\u00a0 that major national newspapers would be
\ninvolved in deliberate falsehood evidently sponsored\u00a0 by political
\nmischief makers masquerading as religious leaders.<\/p>\n
One thread of propaganda has been heightened in the entire chain of
\nmisinformation.\u00a0 Why did Governor Wike declare Rivers, a Christian
\nState? It appears this was the reason behind the planting\u00a0 of this
\nreport in The Nation and Daily Trust.\u00a0 These politicians\u00a0 challenging
\nGovernor Wike’s declaration forget that there are Muslim States in the
\ncountry\u00a0 that officially practice Sharia.<\/p>\n
Like every plot, this one has failed. Those who sponsored these
\njournalistic\u00a0 misfits to generate the false report should hide their
\nheads in shame. Rivers State will continue to make progress under the
\nleadership of Governor Wike.<\/p>\n
Even as the media holds Government to account, so should newspapers hold
\ntheir reporters to account.\u00a0 When senior reporters sweep ethics of
\njournalism under the carpet, the society bears the brunt.<\/p>\n
By Simeon Nwakaudu Some days ago, two major national newspapers led in the publication of total falsehood against the Government and People of Rivers State.\u00a0 The Nation and Daily Trust…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n