INTERGRITY VERSES PROFESSIONAL STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURE.

Oni Afolabi writes:

I was arguing with a senior colleague about the never ending attacks on the Minister of Sports by the sports desk of Vanguard Newspaper and he castigated me for supporting the minister against "my colleagues". According to him, "a dog will never eat a dog." In the first place, I am not a dog, so the adage does not apply here.

In my bid to set the records straight once and for all, I need to explain some things and why I do some things.

While growing up, I wanted to be a lawyer, but when I was in SS2, I had a change of mind and decided to be a journalist in my quest to fight oppression and make a change just like Dele Giwa. I never thought I was going to see myself in sports, but as I was growing up, I had to forge a path for myself and I had to choose sports due to the influence of my late brother, who was then at Brila FM.

I am here on a mission, hence I don't have time to be distracted. I know what I want out of life and I am only going for it. On the issue of joining other journalists in the war against the Minister of Sports just because the Minister replied Vanguard in his quest to put the records straight, I wish to tell anybody that is recruiting pen-pushing army against the minister that I am not available.

I never spent 4 years at the University of Lagos or embarked on professional courses at the Lagos Business School or the Nigeria Institute of Journalism to become a mob member or a cartel lord. If I wanted to become a gang leader or member, I would have joined a fraternity while in school to actualize my dreams.

My friends on this job and outside the profession know me very well and won't even attempt to enlist me as a gang member in a battle I don't believe in. Because millions of people are in support of an agenda doesn't make it right or wrong and for me to have a divergent view does not make me abnormal or right. In a situation where stomach infrastructure has led to the degradation of journalism ethics, then there is a need to stand out.

I am always sad when reporters "copy and paste" from website and even be foolish enough to copy the links and submit to their editors. Embarrassing enough, these errors will still make its way into the newspapers despite an editor who is paid to check these mistakes is much around.

If some individuals or group of young/old journalists are standing up to fight this menace that is killing the profession, there is nothing wrong in it. Why will I want to join the band wagons of fighters who do not know their right hand from their left despite many years of active practice.

Why do I want to join the gang whose main objective is to use their medium for financial and selfish gains at the detriment of national growth and the profession? For me to join in a battle, there is a need for me to believe in the course or else, I won't even attempt to take up arms.

As a General, there is a need to learn out to choose your fights or else, you will record more losses than victories.

Oni Guarantor Afolabi

Journalist.

afolabi_lewis@yahoo.com