By Akogun Tai Oguntayo, PhD
To a large extent, I want to align myself with some strong views concerning media men regrettably serving as attack dogs to politicians.
That’s why I took exception to it when Lere tonguelashed Ojudu, Dele Momodu and few others, especially where he said they were not journalists because he was only using the recently amended constitutional definition of a journalist to measure them up. Image laundering has actually gone beyond serving as errand boys to anyone.
That’s why many journalists today go for advanced studies which make them become media advisers and consultants to their principals rather than mere Assistants or image launderers. However,
in this last edition with Arise TV, I want to give it to Lere Olayinka because Dr Reuben Abati had already stirred the hornets’ nest by calling a whole Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria a rude guy. Not only that, Abati as Arise TV journalist was too judgemental and that’s purely yellow journalism.
With that, it’s natural for Lere to have gone with the mindset of correcting that parochialism of Abati. To be fair enough, Lere was right in saying that Abati turned himself to Amechi’s Special Assistant.
Ordinarily, no matter what your respondent says in an interview, a trained journalist is not expected to go confrontational as Rufai Oseni did. He went to the extent of lying on behalf Abati who was said to be sick whereas he actually went for a book review.
Naturally, no one would expect Lere to keep mute when Oseni came up with an allegation of 20 million scandal, a case in which he has been discharged.
Oseni went further by asking his respondent to tender his NIJ certificate in a life interview!!! This triggered the extreme comment where Lere said “let human being talk.”
By and large, I want to categorically say that apart from the altercation between the duo, Lere still went further to address many issues raised by the third interviewer who was nodding after listening to Lere, apparently agreeing with him. Among the issues addressed by Lere there are;
1. That the FCT Minister has executed 17 projects that will be commissioned starting from 10 of this month.
2. He also put in the right perspective the achievements of railways which Amechi claimed to have done by exposing the humongous amount spent on it compared to the dual railway done elsewhere.
3. He cleared air on the claim by Amechi that he made Wike who he is today by explaining that as at the time Amechi was a House of Assembly member, Wike was a Local Govt Chairman.
4. He explained to the satisfaction of the interviewer that politics and governance go in pari passu without one disturbing the other.
Having said this, I want to advise Lere to reduce his Rottweiler’s posture in his future engagement especially when it comes to elders and senior professional colleagues not a jejune presenter like Rufai Oseni.
Thanks
Akogun Tai Oguntayo, PhD