Expose Bad Leadership, PDP Chief Tells Journalists

A prominent member of the ruling political party in Nigeria, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Emma Anyanwu, has urged Journalists to save the country from further rot, by exposing all facets of bad leadership in Nigeria. He also called on the media to beam their searchlight on all forms of injustices and crimes in the country.

Anyanwu was speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday when the Executive Committee members of the Federated Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council called on him.

The Chapel’s Chairman, Lawson Heyford, set the tone for the event when he called on the peoples of the South-south zone, the main oil and gas region of Nigeria, to forge a united front for the 2007 presidential battle.

Heyford who did not hide the chapel’s displeasure with the discordant tunes among the leaders of the South-south as far as the 2007 presidential race was concerned, called on politicians to close ranks, and put their house in order.

Apparently challenged, the PDP chieftain claimed that the only way journalists could help the country to check the excesses of politicians was to constantly expose all forms of bad leadership at all tiers of governance.

“I think you journalists are better placed to wage an unrelenting war against injustice and decay in our country”, Anyanwu said, pointing out that the media have a big role to play by not only informing the citizens, “but by mirroring our society with a view to strengthening the unity of Nigeria.”

Adding, he said, “I strongly believe that the best way you can do that is by regularly exposing bad leadership, all forms of injustices and crimes.”

According to him, “it is rather very unfortunate that Nigeria is bickering on where the next president should come from, when the issue should have been who is the best acceptable candidate from the oil and gas region. As a loyal member of the PDP and a true Rivers man, I think my governor, Dr. Peter Odili, is best suited for the 2007 presidential job.”

While strongly condemning injustice, he charged the press to play the role of promoting justice and fairness.

In the meantime, the Chapel Secretary, Chief Joseph Ezuma, has called on the leaders of the South-East and the South-south, to brace up for a political confirmation with the North, by putting the mistakes of the past behind them.

Ezuma said the two geo-political zones hold the key to Nigeria’s future greatness “but they are divided by greed and petty selfishness. There are enormous historical and socio-cultural ties that unite than separate them. The supposed division between them is artificial and not natural. They should close ranks in order to permanently resolve their problem of marginalisation and neglect.”

NOTE: Akanimo Sampson is a senior journalist and Co-ordinator of Journalists for Niger Delta (JODEL), a media group concerned with the affairs of Nigeria’s oil and gas region.

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