Nuhu Ribadu | African Business Magazine
I am happy
to be in the midst of a gathering of journalists and media
practitioners, today. I am especially glad that you chose to have us
reflect on a very important and ever-relevant topic of the fight against
the malice of corruption in Nigeria, and the roles a powerful tool like
the press can play in combating corruption in our country.
Having this
discussion in the month of Ramadan, a time of spiritual odyssey,
underscores the fact that we should not only pray but compliment the
needed supplications with practical solutions to our challenges of
nationhood.
There is a consensus about the position
of corruption as our major impediment to greatness. It is a malady that
has unfortunately gone deep into our national fabric. Corruption is the
major reason why we are where we are today as a country. It is also the
reason why we are unable to address a lot of our problems and
challenges.
Years of mindless stealing and waste of
public resources has brought bad name to Nigeria and reversed the hope
and aspirations we had as a country at the time of Independence. The
haemorrhage of corruption has dragged this country to a brink in spite
of efforts at different times, including what we are witnessing
presently, to get the country away from the monster. Fighting
corruption, therefore, is key to the survival and progress of our
country.
In this fight to emancipate Nigeria from
corruption and the corrupt, you as journalists have a great role to
play. Your role in this crusade is conferred by the potent of the weapon
that is in your hands as pressmen and women. Journalism, you would
agree with me, is a frontline profession when it comes to nation
building and search for development.
Throughout history, media has played
momentous roles in different societies to tackle a number of
malfeasances, including corruption. Such turning point interventions by
the media have also occurred at different points in Nigeria. In the case
of fight against corruption, the Nigerian media should continuously
rise up and resist continuous desecration of our country. Corruption
desecrates our national ethos and values, and inhibits our well-being as
a people. As the acclaimed voice of the voiceless, the media should be
up against corruption in all forms.
However, for the media to effectively
fight corruption, there must be self-purgation. Media should purge
itself of corruption and stand up firm on the path of integrity to
discharge its function effectively. As I always say; corruption cannot
fight corruption. He who is morally challenged has no moral right to
sermonize on morality. And when the morally deformed person attempts to
rise against immorality, hardly would he ever succeed and often he ends
up ridiculing such moral responsibility.
Cardinal objectives of journalism; that
of upholding honesty, probity, fight against injustice and patriotism,
sit very well with the teachings of Islam. In fact, fighting for the
oppressed and telling the truth are some of Islamic injunctions that are
repeated a number of times in the Qur’an and for which Allah promises
abundant rewards.
Therefore, as Muslim media
practitioners, you should first see your positive role in the fight
against corruption as an act of worship. Allah enjoins Muslims against
injustice, and there is no injustice greater than cornering what is unto
people into one’s own.
The media is therefore needed to
champion the anticorruption message and always stand for what is right.
As a journalist, you should make it a point of principle to never join
forces with people you ought to help the public to fight. Above all,
fear of God should be the guiding principle always. At points of
temptation always prick your conscience; ask yourself what is in the
public interest. Ask yourself; what or who is on the side of the truth
before making news judgments or lending yourself to any cause.
Distinguished audience, what I try to do
is to scratch the surfaces before we immerse into the lecture proper. I
believe the paper presenter, eminent professor Is-haq Oloyode and the
discussants lined up will take us through the full course of the theme
of this lecture and expectations on you are media practitioners in
helping the fight against corruption and, ultimately, the development of
this country.
Professor Oloyode has had a long term
engagements with activism around this issues. I know his commitment to
anticorruption crusade having helped us at the EFCC for a number of
initiatives, including developing a faith-based training manual on the
war against corruption, in his capacity as the Secretary General of the
Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. We thank you Prof.
The three discussants on the agenda are
all eminently qualified to address us on the topic and I believe if we
listen carefully we will have a lot of take-away points that will
benefit us, especially in your work as journalists.
Nuhu Ribadu is a former chairman of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He delivered this
remarks at Ramadan lecture organised by the Muslim Media Practitioners
Association of Nigeria at the National Mosque, Abuja on Saturday, June
3, 2017.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
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