In Nigeria, there is the resentful tendency of some media houses like Sahara Reporters to use every opportunity in exploiting the peoples consciousness in their favour to gain recognition. For them, all is fair insofar as it confers victory or shores up the popularity rating of their medium.
They throw decorum the wind and indulge in yellow journalism, a dangerous disservice to the journalism profession and to our nation at large.
After a reckless headline
“Yobe Governor, Buni, purchases N600m Luxury Vehicles for 14 Emirs despite public school pupils learning in Classrooms with leaky roof” and display of photos of dilapidated classrooms that did not even represent Yobe, in a manner which glaringly constitute yellow journalism which include exaggeration of news events, scandals- mongering, and sensationalism.
The Sahara Reporters are happy. They feel accomplished not because they are fighting for the society through professional and ethical fashion, but for the simple reason that their strategy to catch people’s attention have been successfully executed.They were extremely elated because they sold a hoax, a whole hoax and fake news to a docile gullible followers who majorly don’t even know what is happening in Yobe under Governor Mai Mala Buni. Even at that, i believe its very few that will buy into the bullshit in this era of digital information age and transparency.
The last time I checked on the headlines of credible national newspapers print and online about Yobe is positive, they gave credit to where credit is due and criticized constructively put in a corrective form without any sensation attached to it. If the Sahara Reporters believe in the strong ethics of the journalism profession on of which upholding the truth, then they should know that the famous workholic Governor Buni is worthy of praise for many of his good works for the betterment of Yobe people.
Governor Mai Mala Buni has started very well and he is doing very well in all sectors. The education sector the Sahara Reporters tied the story, to deceive gullible Nigerians is receiving the desired attention. Everybody is evidently aware that Governor Buni has declared a state of emergency in the education sector during his inauguration on May 29, 2019, and a lot of things has happened and still happening with positive results. For example, Yobe State under
Governor Buni has already started the implementation of the report of the Technical Committee that was set up to revitalize Basic and Secondary Education in the State.
The Committee, led by former Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, Professor Malah Daura, was set up by the governor following the first ever Yobe Education Summit, which was held on July 1st, 2019.
While the full recommendations of the Committee will be implemented over time through various education sector agencies in coordination with the office of the Secretary to the State Government, His Excellency Governor Buni has approved that the following be undertaken immediately:
a. A manpower audit to screen all teaching staff across the state, authenticate their certificates and the forms or types of formal training they had gone through.
b. Conduct of basic, general and professional competency tests on teachers in the state.
c. Identification of teachers who need training, re-training or re-assigning to other sectors as appropriate and how to fill in any gaps that may arise.
d. Identification of additional qualified teachers for recruitment at all levels of the school system.
e. Establishment of one model school for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in each of the three senatorial districts of the state. Three existing schools will be converted for this purpose and a steering committee that has already been set up will work to formalise arrangements for conversion of the schools and the conduct of needs assessment to meet immediate take off requirements.
The schools earmarked for STEM education are Government Secondary School Damaturu (Zone A), Government Science and Technical College Potiskum (Zone B) and Government Science and Technical College Nguru (Zone C).
Even at this period of coronavirus global pandemic, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has devised a way of keeping students learning through Radio and social media platforms giving no room to failure.This is hearty cheer as more schools have gone online to teach as a result of the lockdown.
Slowly but steadily, Gov Buni, a progressive major is progressively laying an enduring path for solid education for present and future Yobe.
So, Sahara Reporters did not deem it fit, proper and morally right and suitable to tell all the good stories about education in Yobe, but chose to publish a story that best suits its interest its quite unfortunate. But let me say the power of the press is awesome and should be used carefully for the betterment of the society and that involves upholding the truth and nothing but the truth.The circle of yellow journalism should be avoided at all cost as it is a dangerous disservice to our nation.
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