- Olumoru-elect reels out vision for Imoru Kingdom
- Coronation, Staff of Office Presentation hold December 21
A former Deputy National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, and the Olumoru of Imoru Elect in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, Prince Oluwarotimi Obamuwagun, has advised on how to sustain Nigeria as a nation state where all citizens will live happily together in peace and harmony. His Coronation and Staff of Office Presentation Ceremonies would hold on Saturday, December 21, 2019 in Imoru. He also speaks of how journalists and a revitalised Journalism profession could be used as instruments of nation-building. Obamuwagun, who was elected King by his people on August I, 2019, while reeling out his vision as the 15th Olumoru of Imoru, promised that his reign would stand out remarkably in the unique way that he would care for his people. Also, he speaks about other interesting issues about his personality, experience and lifestyle, among others, in the following interview with Banji Ayoola.
Kabiyesi, we congratulate you on your election as the Olumoru of Imoru. How do you feel being an oba?
I feel happy and great about it; and I thank God f or making it happen.
We have six lineages in one ruling house in Imoru. What I mean is that we have just one ruling house. In this one ruling house, we have six lineages. From the six, anyone can produce the oba. The remaining five had produced oba. Even some had done it twice, thrice. But ours has never done it since the time Imoru became Imoru.
I am the first oba that would emerge from my own lineage. And by the grace of God, I would be addressed as Oba Oluwarotimi Obamuwagun, Uwade 1. I thank God; and I thank the people of Imoru. I thank the Government which ensured transparency in the process. And I thank everybody including my friends and colleagues in the Journalism profession.
How did your election go?
The election proper came on August 1, 2019 at the Ose Local Government Council Secretariat. I thought it would take place in Imoru proper; but the Head of the Kingmakers who has the power by law to choose the venue, time and everything chose the Local Government Secretariat. So, all of us went there; and it was peaceful. All the contestants were there.
All the Kingmakers except one, were also there. Security people were there. The DLG of the Local Government who has the responsibility by law to conduct and ensure peace was there. Generally it was a very peaceful one. And when the result was announced, everybody took it as it came.
As a journalist and former Deputy National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, how would your experience in the profession rub on your new office?
Journalism practice is on its own – administration on the move. Every day, you administer people’s lives news-wise; and you gain new experience daily; you rub minds with people on a daily basis; you are within the people every second of the day. You get experience by doing things with people, by discussing with people, by asking questions from people, and from the answers they give you, you get experience. And I did that for 31 years. That is practicing Journalism per se.
On the political side of Journalism, which is the NUJ, I was involved in the politics of NUJ for many years. Of the 31 years I practiced Journalism, I practiced in Akure, Lagos and one or two other cities of the country. Beginning from the time of Governor Bamidele Olumilua, I started to cover elections in Nigeria. Even before that time. You know that elections had been held during the Gen Shehu Musa Yar’adua’s presidential aspiration. I was in Sokoto, Borno, Kaduna, Kano and virtually everywhere. I was in all parts of the northern part of the country, covering elections. I was in the East covering elections. I was in the South West.
The MKO Abiola election, pre the election, the election proper and all the things that happened after the election, I was involved effectively in the coverage and reportage. We went to Abiola’s house in Ikeja severally with the Governor, Mr Bamidele Olumilua at the time. And I spoke with Chief Abiola severally. I spoke with so many personalities, politicians, soldiers, everybody. I was involved in covering and reporting everything. In the course of doing these, I garnered experience.
While I was at the NUJ, I was involved in administering the states. I sat in Abuja. I was Deputy President, the number two journalist in this country by virtue of my position as the Deputy National President, I was in Abuja managing the NUJ with the President; and I did that for six years. I had two terms of three years each.
I was also the Vice President of the entire South West which was about eight states at the time including Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti. I presided over that as my own territory when I was Vice President. I was Chairman of NUJ in Ondo State for two terms of six years. I was Chairman of OSRC Chapel of NUJ. I was Secretary of Lagos State Correspondents Association. I was part of the Murtala Muhammed Airport League of Airports Correspondents. So, I have been there.
In the course of doing all these things, I mingled with people, I looked at people, I administered people’s lives one way or the other. And that would rub effectively in the way and manner I manage my new position. And I have learnt to be patient; not to rush into doing things. I have learnt to look at people well. I have learnt to ensure that you don’t jump the guns, you listen to people; and you allow them to express themselves well; that there should be democracy in obaship position, that is democracy in monarchy. You ensure that. So I do not see any problem sincerely.
Apart from that, I have been part of the town and the people. I know them one by one. I can point to each house from top to bottom. I know their elite very well. I know the politicians and administrators; I know everybody in the town. I know the farmers and market women; I know all of them. And what I saw on the day the result of my election was announced, I remember that they love me very well. So, managing the monarchy in Imoru, I can assure you, won’t be a problem at all. It is not going to be a problem.
At this time, one remembers your wife, especially when it comes to the vital role that a woman performs by the side of a Yoruba oba. How would you cope?
(Silence… went emotional… silence) I had been in the race since 2012, April 2012 when I chose to show interest in the race. I lost my wife in July 2015. That was about three years after I had shown interest in the race; and after her passing, I chose to continue after reflecting deeply on what to do and what not to do. You also remember that I lost her and my national election as the President of NUJ the same day. So, I decided to continue in this race. I knew that one day, if, by the grace of God, I won the race, I would need a woman. So, about a year ago, I started to fix that area, and I am sure, I would have a woman to perform the role of an Olori by the grace of God.
What would mark out the Obamuwagun reign in Imoru?
I will care for the people. The way and manner I care for the people will mark out outstandingly my position as the Olumoru at the end of the day. Caring for them would also mean that we would bring developmental issues to the place.
We would ensure growth. We would ensure that the children are well trained; and that is what I am doing at my nuclear level. As a parent, you should ensure training of your children; because if you do that, you are also building the community. It is not only when you build roads or put very big buildings in the community that you are said to be developing the community. And that also extends to anywhere, even in a country. When you train the children very well, they would grow to become very big people, intellectuals, politicians, businessmen and others. And these are bigger and better than roads and bridges and big buildings.
When Oba Sir Olateru Olagbegi, the late Olowo of Owo, was ditching out, getting scholarships and training the people of Owo, including the late Chief Adekunle Ajasin, I am sure he had a vision. And Baba Ajasin was one of the awards of his vision when he eventually grew up to become the proprietor of a school that was producing students who, today, are in so many areas, manning the economy, politics and so many other fields.
And Chief Ajasin also became the Governor of this state; and you see what he did as Governor. Free education; integrated rural development; all the programmes of the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, he executed to the letter in Ondo State. And most of the people who got free education at that time are big men today. Some of them have been Governors. That was a vision executed; and it came to be realised at the end of the day many years after.
So, education, I would ensure in the place; and of course, commerce. It is a town that is not as big as other towns. But I know very well that it is either the town makes the king, or the king makes the town. So, in this case, we would both make ourselves. The town would make me and I would also make the town. With my little knowledge of the world, I would exploit that to rub effectively on the activities of the town and the people. That is what we would do.
I also believe very strongly that apart from that, there are people in our town who are well made, who have been made by God; and we have so many big men in big positions. The role of the oba mainly is to mobilise the people to work well to achieve. I have seen so many rich obas. I believe we can and we would make headway and God will assist us. You also know very well that with God, everything is possible. We would reach out to the people we believe can assist us, and we would ask for assistance. And I believe we would get such on behalf of the people.
What are those things that your people have been suffering all along that your reign would help redress?
We need help in virtually everything. I cannot say that we have anything on ground for now; but I know that we would get all the things that we want. Electricity, no; good roads, no; water, no; anything, mention it, we don’t have. We are poor, but we are also very rich. Our obas in the past did their best; and I appreciate all of them. We would start from where they stopped. And in few years’ time, God willing, we would get everything done because we know how to do them. We know the routes; we know the corners; we know where we should go; and we know how to get there. So, we would do all those things. If it means begging people, we would beg them to ensure that we get those things we should get lawfully, legally.
With your ascension to the throne of your forefathers, how would Imoru now rank in Ondo State; how would your town contribute effectively to maintaining peace in Ondo State and developing the state and Nigeria generally?
Like any other city in Ondo State, there is no remarkable difference between what is happening in Imoru and any other city. The difference in bigness, the population is there. What is the population of this place; what is the population of Imoru; what is the population of that. I know very well that in politics, population means so much to politicians. The number you get from a particular place would make the Governor to pay attention to a particular place more than any other place. You know that happens. But I know very well that we have the number that would make us get some of the things that we want. We would negotiate. I believe very strongly that when you look at Imoru and the other cities, towns or communities in Ondo State, we are not particularly backward; but the ability to harness what we have to get what we want is what this monarchy would exploit very well.
Some of us who came out to contest for this position, I can say it that we are so far on very good grounds more than the other grounds that were before now. That one of us has emerged, I am sure the others, based on what I would do, will support me because I am already moving around talking to those I contested with. A permanent secretary was part of our team; somebody who has been in Lagos and rose to the peak of his career was part of our team. We had somebody who has done so well internationally, who is based in Canada and doing very well there, was part of the team that contested this position.
Apart from that, we have so many of our sons and daughters in sensitive developmental positions in Nigeria who we can use to get what we want. So, when you compare Imoru with any other cities, they are in grades. But, we are not particularly backward. The only thing we shall do very well is to use the people who we have in abundance; to use what we have economically to get what would benefit the people. That is like trade by barter. In politics, we have the number that we can trade with.
And we would cooperate with the obas around the place. We would do things in common with them. We are not going to do things alone. We would relate with them very well. All of us jointly, it is better to do things in common, and you get things in common. It is even better to do it with other people, and what you get, you share, rather than doing it alone. We would do so many things with the obas around us. We would be friendly with everybody.
In the area of security, we would ensure that we assist the government of the state and beyond to bring security to the people. If there is no security, the oba would not sleep. That is the truth. And if the oba is not sleeping and the people would not sleep, then you cannot be talking about development or growth within a sector.
You must first secure the environment, secure your community. Not only your community, if the others are not secured, you cannot be secured, you can’t be happy. For example, Ifon, Ijagba, Sobe, Arimogija are our neighbours. If all these areas are not secured, you cannot say you are secured. There is no way we would not work with the others to ensure security within our own domains, areas, the state and even beyond.
Any pledge of cooperation from your co aspirants to ensure a successful reign during which Imoru flourishes?
Yes. We were six. Like I said, about four of them are very outstanding in their callings. And one of them, even without my prompting, just called me the following day, a very big man in Lagos and said: ‘Yes, egbon, I concede to you, you have won, and if you need me, please call me.’ I am happy that such a thing happened. Those who did not call me, I personally called them. I have reached out to so many. Some of them opened up. They embraced me. One or two are still angry. And it is expected. If some of us spent nine years struggling to get this thing and we have spent so much, I can imagine. I have an idea of what I spent, running into tens of millions, and if by the grace of God I won that position, I should be magnanimous enough to reach out to those who did not win, and those who are not embracing my reach out immediately, I believe very strongly that they would do so very soon.
I am the one who would not stop reaching out to them. I would send people to them to beg them. I know how painful it is. Everybody wants to be the oba; but one person would definitely emerge as the oba. I am the one who emerged as the oba. It is my responsibility to go out and look for them and appeal to them and beg them and do everything possible to ensure that the pain of the loss is reduced to the barest minimum. I may not have money to give to them. But even if I get to them and say please don’t be angry, it is enough. And I would beg some of our people to tell them that there is life after this contest. And if possible, we would assist them to stabilise by the grace of God.
I would tell some of my people to assist all of us including my humble self to stabilise properly. So I am ready to go out. I have been doing that; and I would do more; and I would continue to do more to appeal to them, to beg them. It is service to the community. It is not only by being an oba that you serve your people. There are other opportunities. Olumoru is the ruling house that produces the oba. There are so many elite in others who are not obas who are doing wonderful things in Imoru. We would let them realise that we are with them and they have to be with us too, and God will be with all of us.
Tell us a bit about the history of Imoru.
We came from Benin. We left Benin about 400 years ago, so I was told. We settled in some other places before getting to this present site that we are now. We spent so many years in some other places. Our forefathers finally settled in our present state. Before me, we had produced about 14 obas. Imoru is an agrarian place that depends on farm produce mainly.
There is no industry in the place for now; but industries will come by the grace of God. We have resources that we can use to develop ourselves. All that is needed to be done is link up with government properly to ensure that they exploit all these things to ensure that we use them to our own benefit.
Imoru is rich in culture and tradition. We intend to uphold that. I am a Christian; but I am not there to kill the custom and tradition. We would look at them properly without offending our gods and my own God; and without destroying the rich culture and tradition of the place. Imoru is a beautiful place and I intend to do my best to make it more beautiful.
What about getting a befitting palace?
We have a palace. It is not even in use. The palace that some of the other obas used, was taken over by the family of Oba Adesunloye through the court. The case was taken to the court; and based on arguments; the court said that the palace belonged to them. The oba in place then did not appeal. The palace is now the property of the family of Oba Adesunloye, the one but one before the last oba. The last oba ruled in his house. But I can assure you that beautiful things would start to happen now. How and why they went to court, I know all the stories. I know that during this my time, by the grace of God, we would get that palace back. I know why the children of Oba Adesunloye took the position they took. I know why they went to court. The truth of the matter is that I have sat down and reflected deeply. I have even discussed with some other people. Our palace will get back and we will refurbish and rehabilitate it. Within the next one year, we would have a palace. I can say that on a very strong, solid authority.
Who is Prince Oluwarotimi Obamuwagun, the Olumoru-elect?
I am a child native of Imoru; born to the family of Chief Joel Obakinna Otelasun Oyinbo Obamuwagun, my father. He died October 1, 1984. My mother died July 25, 2017, about two years ago. I was born into that family with six other children; five women now and two men, myself and my only brother. My father was the only son of his parents. And he lived close to 120 years before he died in 1984. My mother died about 93, two years ago. And I would also die at a very ripe age. I intend to live as long as my mother and father.
I grew up in Imoru with my father. I knew him very well. I also knew my mother very well. We were going to the farms. We have a farmstead within the borders of our town, we own the land up to so many kilometers; several tens of kilometers away. My father had his farmstead named after him. They call it ahere oyinbo. It is a hamlet of about 80 families, as at the last time I was there about 35 years ago, all of them very big cocoa farmers. Sometimes we would be there for three months, going to the farm. Then when we had this long vacation, we would go there and come back.
I attended St Paul’s Primary School, Imoru and thereafter, New Church Grammar School, Owo. After that, I attended the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, in Lagos. I attended Imo State University. I did Journalism per se in NIJ. I also did Mass Communicationat postgraduate level at Imo State University. When I finished, one of my uncles was in Lagos, Dr Aribo. I stayed with him for several years in Lagos because I didn’t get job early.
I wanted to work with the National Concord at the time, after I had left NIJ. I was looking forward that Mr. Dele Giwa would assist me. I met him severally. I wanted him to assist me but he couldn’t do it early until his death. So, I would have worked with Concord.
My uncle was also made a board member at the Ondo State Radio-vision Corporation, OSRC here; and he assisted me to get a job into OSRC at the time during the days of Governor Bamidele Otiko. I started working in OSRC around 1985. I was there doing my job. I enjoyed the job I did in Journalism.
I intentionally got into Journalism. My uncle wanted me to go for Law. He is my mother’s brother. I said I was not interested in Law. I wanted Journalism. I loved Journalism since I was in secondary school. He didn’t want me to go for Journalism. I insisted. I had some friends in Lagos then who assisted me. I did the NIJ examination and I passed. But I couldn’t get the money to pay. He wanted to discourage me because he wanted me to do Law.
But I did something. I outsmarted him. I wrote a letter to Dr. Tai Solarin at Ikenne. We didn’t have these kinds of phones then. You had to go to the post office. About a week after, he replied me through my friend in the bank, a friend of mine from Imoru. He is in Lagos now. So we planned a coup together. He got the letter and gave me. And we discussed. I didn’t have the money. I said I had to travel to Ikenne to see Dr Solarin. I was only reading about him. So he gave me the money to travel. It was a Sunday. I saw his wife, an English woman. I met her in their one-storey building. I asked after him. She said he had gone to the farm. I asked for the way to the farm. She just pointed and I started following the way.
I met him on the way. I said ‘Good morning Sir.’ He said ‘Yes, good morning, can I help you? I said ‘Yes Sir.’ I didn’t say anything. I just took the letter he wrote to me and handed it over to him. He said ‘Yes, yes, yes. I saw your letter, but you didn’t tell me how I would help you.’ I said ‘It is school fees Sir. I couldn’t pay my school fees.’ He said ‘okay, let’s go home.’ So we went home, got to his sitting room. We sat down.
He said ‘Yes, gentleman, why do you want to do Journalism?’ I said ‘it is my interest.’ He said ‘Don’t you have somebody who could help you?’ I said ‘Yes, I have somebody who could help me, but he wanted me to do Law; and since I am interested in Journalism, he wanted to ensure that I didn’t get this admission so that I could go back to his own interest later.’ He said ‘No, there is no remarkable difference between Journalism and Law; the two professions work for humanity.’ That was the way he put it. Law and Journalism work for humanity.
He said ‘okay, where is the paper?’ I brought out the paper containing the school fees sent to me by the NIJ, and gave it to him. He collected it and said ‘Ah, I cannot afford all this, but I would give you what I have. If you are able to raise the remaining part of this thing, go and pay and start your school, and tell me the progress; if you are not able to pay, please don’t spend my money, give it back to me.’ I said ‘Yes Sir.’ He issued a cheque because we dealt in cheque at that time. It was unlike these days that you can cash cheque anywhere in the country. I had to come back again to Ikenne to cash it.
So, on Monday, my friend who was working in the bank also gave me money. I came back to Ikenne, went to the bank and I cashed the cheque there. I can’t remember the exact amount except I look into my records.
I had one lady. You know I had finished secondary school and I had worked for about one or two years in Ondo State here. The lady and I met at my place of work. We had interest in ourselves. When I was in Lagos, she was coming at irregular intervals to check on me. As I was coming from Ikenne, I met her at home. I explained to her and she said ‘Let me go back and look for the remaining part.’ It was around 11am in the morning. She came back to Ondo State. The following morning, early around 9am, she was in Lagos with the balance. I put them together.
By that time, the school had almost concluded the first semester. I got there. I met about seven Ondo State indigenes in my class. I was allowed to start because I had been relating with the registrar of the school and he assured me that by the time I came, I would still be admitted. All the people, most of them today big men, though they have retired from Journalism, print and electronic, they came, started assisting me to write notes. We were sleeping in a house for a whole week. They assisted me to write my notes. And they taught me what they had been taught.
About a month later, we had our first semester examination and I failed one course – Typewriting. I passed minimally all the others. That is my story about Journalism, how I got into NIJ. Dr Tai Solarin paid my fist school fees. When my uncle saw that I was going to NIJ because I told him I had started, he said ‘You are a stupid boy; so you got it.’ I said ‘Yes Sir.’ ‘How did you do it?’ And I explained to him.
So he now followed me with the money to Dr Solarin. When we got to him, he explained his position that he wanted me to study Law, that since I chose to do this and I had gone through all these things, he had come to return his money. And Dr Solarin said ‘No, no, no; go and take care of your nephew. Next time don’t force anybody to do what they don’t like, allow them to do what they want to do.’ We ended it like that. That is me in a nutshell.
I went through the OSRC. I retired from the place on March 1, 2016 . I was in Abuja for six years. As Deputy President, I was relating at that level. When I lost my wife and my election the same day, after the burial, I returned to OSRC to start my work. After one or two weeks there, I decided that I could not cope. The way and manner they practiced Journalism put me off.
You know as Deputy President, I had gone round all the media houses in the country. I was also at the top of a team that was disciplining people that didn’t practice Journalism well. I was doing that job as chairman and I got to OSRC, I saw worse things. I tried to correct here and there and when I saw that I couldn’t cope, I couldn’t effect what I intended doing, I resigned in anger on the 1st of March, 2016.
When I submitted my letter, somebody said I had to wait for three months. I said ‘No, I am leaving now.’ They said that if you are leaving now, you would pay one month salary in lieu of notice. I said fine, and I paid. So I left the day I wanted to leave because OSRC at the time was not doing well professionally. So I left.
At the level of NUJ, I think I also did well from the scratch, from what they call chapel level. I started from the chapel at Lagos State Correspondents Association when Col Raji Rasaki was governor. I became the secretary to the chapel. I was also a member of the League of Airport Correspondents at the Murtala Mohammed Airport. I had started job at OSRC here. But suddenly, I was transferred to Lagos as the Lagos City Editor. That was when I started to relate with journalists in Lagos.
I got myself involved in the politics of the NUJ, and I started to take up positions. I was transferred back to Ondo State. When I got here, I contested again. I became the secretary of the OSRC chapel of the NUJ. Later, I became the chairman; later, I contested as chairman of Ondo State Council of NUJ; and I won the first and second term. Then I contested again as the Vice President of the B Zone, that is the South West Zone, and I won. I spent three years there. Then I contested as Deputy President of NUJ and I won.
At that time, you had to campaign round the whole country as Vice President. If you wanted to be Vice President of South West, everybody had to vote for you. But at a point, I told my President, Garba Muhammed, when we were doing the review of our constitution that ‘Look President, why should Hausa people be voting for somebody who wanted to be Vice President of the Yoruba people, why should the Igbo be voting for a Vice President over the Hausa people. I said that for such positions, let the people in every area where you want to man vote for you.’
So, we changed that clause in our constitution when we were reviewing it. That was after I had been Vice President, after I had campaigned round the whole country just as Vice President of South West. I was in Sokoto, Borno, everywhere. And I said ‘That one is wrong. I am not campaigning to be President of NUJ or Deputy President. I just wanted to be Vice President of my own zone. So let whoever wants to be Vice President get his votes from the catchment area, from the South West. Let the South West people vote for whoever wants to be their Vice President.’ That was how we changed that position in our constitution.
But for the position of the Vice President, I did that twice. I also campaigned round the whole country, even during the time Boko Haram was starting epileptically. I was in Borno. I got there around 10pm and campaigned. I left the place the same day and I slept on the road. I can’t remember, between Maiduguri and the next town, we were on the road till the following morning because of the security risk. We got to a particular place and we had to stay there. That happened again.
I campaigned round the whole country about four times; when I was contesting as Vice President; the two times I contested as Deputy President and when I contested as the National President of NUJ.
How should Journalism be practised?
I have been to other countries; and I know how Journalism is practiced in other countries. The bottom line of the way and manner we practice our own Journalism in Nigeria should be corrected. Why the practice of Journalism, as far as I am concerned, is not what it should be , is that journalists are not paid well; journalists are poor, and it has not changed. And I always say one thing. You cannot be bigger than your firmament, your environment. It is what happens here that you would live with. There have been so many journalists who have moved out of Nigeria to Britain; and when they are well remunerated, they excel even more than the people they met there.
Poverty has done so much damage to the practice of Journalism in Nigeria. Journalists work 24 hours. I practiced as a journalist and I knew how I worked on a daily basis as a broadcast journalist. And I love the profession. The love I have for the profession pushed me through for 31 years; and not the money I got from the profession. I use to tell people that I didn’t look for money in Journalism, I just love the profession, I love the name that I made more than the money. I didn’t ask for money.
But even at that, Nigerians should know that journalists also have issues to attend to. You have children to train, your house to maintain. You have your wife to maintain. You have your health to maintain. You have so many things, minimally. Nigeria as a nation should ensure that all these minimal things are gotten, that journalists are able to get them. I am not saying that they should be made super rich. They should not make journalists the dregs of the society. When you do that, the society is killing itself without knowing it.
This is because Journalism is different from politics. Look at what is happening. Look at what a member of the National Assembly is getting. I was listening to the radio and one of the senators was talking here recently. He said ‘Yes, we have fought, we have done everything, we spent our money; this is the time we should be enjoying; and whatever is given to us is what we deserve to get.’ I said ‘waoh.’ That is one of our senators.
Journalism is that profession that would assist the government to build the nation if it is well managed. If the journalist is well remunerated, there is no need for the journalist to start looking at a politician for kickback, or what is called brown envelope. But I always say that if you put together all the brown envelopes in Nigeria for one year, it is not even up to the salary or all the kickbacks a senator gets in one day at the National Assembly.
I am not justifying corruption in journalism; but the society must pay attention to that area because that area is very sensitive. If it is not well looked at, if it is not well maintained, journalists would be doing some other things that they should not do. By interpretation, if you are hungry, then if your background is not solid enough, if you are not well disciplined, and you are a hungry person, you would do certain things that you should not do. And that is what I think Nigerians should look at in Journalism. They should ensure that journalists are well taken care of the way politicians are taken care of, the way the military people are taken care of because the pen is truly mightier than the sword. I am not saying that they should be given what they do not deserve, but that they should be given what is commensurate with the job they are doing so that they would not have the time to start doing some illegal things within the system. If we do not do that, I am afraid; it is a time bomb that is waiting to explode.
Do you have any further comments?
I would only talk about Nigeria. I would tell Nigerians that we are one nation. We are in the midst of a very deep, combustible ocean. As a people, we must not continue to talk about ourselves alone. We must take care of the people around us. We must take care of ourselves. We must care for ourselves evenly. It is not right for one single person to be richer than ten states put together, and ask him to justify the source of his wealth, he cannot. I am not working against anybody, but the truth of the matter is that we should take care of the poor people. The way we are going, one day, we may not be able to manage the nation well, especially the poor. And their population is bigger than the population of the rich. You saw some of the things that have been happening. So, the rich should take care of the poor. Otherwise, before you know it, we may not have a nation.
