THE NIGERIAN GUILD OF EDITORS IN A PENALTY BOK

THE NIGERIAN GUILD OF EDITORS IN A PENALTY BOX
BY GABRIEL OMONHINMIN
The biennial convention of the Nigerian Guild of Editors which took place on July 28, 2008 in Lagos has come and gone. The ripple effect of the election of new members of the Standing Committee would for a long time to come reverberate in the country’s media circle.
The Guild since its inception in the 60’s has suffered three deaths. The present crises of leadership bedevilling the body could have been avoided if not for the regrettable act of indiscretion on the part of some individual members whose reputation could be better described as a mixture of sawdust and sand. These persons have suddenly assumed position of “god-mothers among other things” in the guild, thus playing the unenviable role of an “Adedibu” in a body made up of the finest minds in the country’s media.
The action of these very negligible members of the guild, unfortunately, has boxed it into a penalty spot. The penalty kicks that would be taken by the Gbenga Adefaye’s executive in days or months to come will no doubt determine whether or not the Nigerian Guild of Editors would be able to move back on to the field of play as one indivisible body.
Since the conclusion of the election, I have read with great amusement comments, opinions and editorials about matters arising from the biennial conference. My point however is that most of these articles failed to address the crux of the matter which is the outright violation of the Guild’s constitution. I am also of the belief that we cannot justify freedom of the press by assertion but only by day-to-day demonstration of integrity in whatever we do.
Messes Adefaye and Akiotu are gentlemen and good journalists. The election of any of the two candidates would ordinarily not have brought about any rancour if the proper thing was done. The present disagreement in the Guild is neither the making of Akiotu nor Adefaye. The crisis was contrived by just four persons who believe that they are now the only people in a position to dictate the future of the guild which they have been using to feather their own nests. To them any opposition must not be tolerated, as this will dislodge them from continuing to hold on to the liver of power in the guild. It is to this style of leadership we on the opposing side say no. Courage to challenge evil is one crucial element lacking in the way and manner journalists conduct their own affairs in Nigeria. This attitude is what has brought the Nigerian Union of Journalists to its knees and made the union almost irrelevant at the national level.
Campaign, for instance, is connected with a set of actions intended to obtain a particular result, especially in politics or business. If the immediate past executive of the guild was not interested in attracting new entrants into the guild, one wonder what was the reason(s) or rationale for calling on contestants in the just concluded election to cris-cross the country campaigning for votes and appealing to qualified persons to register with the body. Why did the guild not say abinito that people registering with it would not be allowed to vote in the biannual conference? Is it proper morally and in law, to collect the money of prospective members and deny such a person the right to participate fully in the activities of the guild where they are expected to be legitimate members?
Before the Lagos biannual conference this has never been the rule. Why explore the weakness of the constitution of the guild to set a very dangerous precedent?
Such conduct if allowed to go un-challenged would later become the norm. This is unhealthy and would do the guild more harm than good. We have seen life-long relationships destroyed with unrealistic expectations, infidelity and broken promises. Our question therefore is: if Prince Tony Momoh, Chief Ugochukwu Onyema and few other decent elements who have been privileged to hold the presidency of the guild had behaved the way and manner some individuals are presently conducting themselves, would the guild before now, not have long broken up?
This crisis contrary to the speculation by some funny individuals is not at all a fight between electronic and print media editors. Electronic media for instance, does not only mean radio and television, it refers to any media providing electronic, interactive communications, such as the internet, online services, and/or electronic and communication networks, including telephone. From all indications this sector of the media cannot but attract the very best. According to the late Dele Giwa, any serious –minded journalist must be a university graduate, a good thinker and a man or woman who has a way with words. These calibres of persons abound in both the electronic and print media. Our resolve to free the guild from the stronghold of some individuals who failed to realise that power should always be used with wisdom is also not based on ethnic or any other primitive sentiments or consideration. We have as a matter of principle resolved not to stand akimbo and laugh while Gbenga Adefaye is going to be held hostage by some idle minded persons who do not believe in making any meaningful contribution to the advancement of the guild. Their sole interest as has always been is to explore the guild for their own selfish interests. This can no longer be allowed.
The Adefaye led executive as presently constituted, in the exception of one or two persons is made up of some men and women who were planted in the executive by these same interest groups. Will anything good come out of this calibre of persons? Let,s wait and see.
I must put on record that no right thinking editor or journalist would be interested in the death of the guild this time around. Our only concern is for things to be done properly.
For instance, why would a man be denied the right to hold any position in a body like the guild because he is seen to be a very principled person. Mr. Akiotu is said to be disliked because he is regarded “as a maverick, too independent to be relied on, not a joiner”.
What were the reason(s) for the sudden phobia about the guild’s biennial General Meeting, in the just concluded Lagos Conference? In December 2003, when Remi Oyo was to rubber stamp Baba Dantiye as President of the guild, they had no problem holding a biennial general meeting.
Another question begging for answer is who appointed Mr. Bonnie Iwouha as the Chairman, Convention Planning Committee of the Lagos Biennial Conference?
I must be quick to point out, that this minor disagreement is not personal. Rather all we want is for things at the guild level to be done with some sense of decorum and decency.
As a matter of urgency, the guild’s constitution must be re-worked to foreclose the loopholes that have just been recently exploited by the immediate past president of the guild. All past executive members of the guild should henceforth be allowed to contest any office if they so desire. It should no longer be the exclusive right of members of the standing committee only to aspire to such offices as presently contained in the guild constitution. The gate for the presidency of the body should be thrown open to allow quality persons who have proven track records as editors. This is the only way to prevent the inept leadership which have for some time now been the lot of the guild.
Healing we all know is a process, not an event. Wounds of the heart heal slowly. We all know how people protect an injured limb against knocks and bumps. It is a natural instinctive reaction. The fact is that the one who caused the pain may be ready for business as usual but for the injured, he or she takes his time.
Common sense has however shown that when one violates his partner’s trust, you send your ‘relationship account’ into deficit! Intimacy is replaced by painful emotional and physical distance. As the offender, it is your responsibility to show repentance. Once this is done, one must be seen to be making genuine reconciliatory moves, as it is only through this process the present crises in the guild can be resolve.