Odimegwu Onwumere At Promasidor Awards For Journalists
Transcript from Odimegwu Onwumere's speech on Saturday, May 24th 2014, for being a nominee of the Promasidor Quill Awards for journalists which event took place at the Grand Ballroom, Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos.
Men of the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Today marks another milestone for journalism in Nigeria. It is a day when people of the media are again celebrated. It is a day that patriots are recognized outside politics. I am grateful to share in this banquet. Although, I cannot remember the actual date when I began the work that drew smiles on the faces of these honourable judges that have won me this nomination today.
But I can remember it was 9-something in the morning on May 20, 2014 when I received a call from a soft-spoken Mr. Charles Igbinedu who introduced himself as calling from Promasidor. And I had been nominated for the Promasidor Quill Awards. I was immediately and loudly, ecstatic. I remember Mr. Igbinedu laughing quietly at me.
My mind raced straight to the powerful and generous editor of the 'Nigerian Pilot' who read my article and saw fit to publish it. My mind still turned as hundreds of thoughts moved through my head like the wind. I'm not sure that I can thank the editor enough. But I believe him to be one of the great un-explored media gurus in the country. He is an intelligent and humble man who recognized human dignity and I look forward to day when we meet in person so I can shake his hand in appreciation and gratitude.
It is my greatest joy to continue my career's journey celebrating this nomination today. Though even as I do, out there - in the towns and villages - there are many talented people who could have just as easily been here with us, maybe even as winners, sharing their mammoth experiences through the written word. These persons with the rare and powerful gift of the written word locked inside, work steadily at hidden altars of writing without acknowledgement, appreciation, completely unknown. I was once just like them!
While this nomination I am receiving today could be attributable to the untiring hard work that began in 1994, I understand that great words than mine are being placed on paper that we never see. I have listened to the radio and watched TV where governments at all levels have awarded national honours to people. Folks among them did not contribute what many of the newspapers, radio, TV, citizen editors and journalists contribute on daily basis in making sure that there is a balanced society. Yet, I am not sure we do not have any that has been recognized in that capacity.
If there is any, check the person proper, he or she might not be neutral with his or her journalism practice and with the government activities. But I've heard of such awards, awarded to musicians, films actors, footballers And everyday, there are complaints that our children and education are spiraling down. Then we ask, instead of 'Bring Back The Book' as President Goodluck Jonathan started championing the project since 2010, what the government, at all levels, seem keen to bring back are the downsizing of literary people with an uttermost scorn.
The Guild of Editors today, is calling for funds to erect its official edifice. The Nigerian Writers Association's (ANA's), acres of land in Abuja have been there for years without any significant building that could be called ANA's erection on it. The same story plays out with journalists. News websites in Nigeria hardly store or keep information on their different news sites for long period of time, unlike their western counterparts.
And I read somewhere that Nigeria would be using Africa as its 'Internet Password' or something, like you have United Kingdom signing with UK. I ask, how can our children pay attention to reading when their government has shown and indirectly been infusing in them that these professions are better than literary works. Hence, our children model these professionals as role models against literary men in this country.
It could be such a mindset that propelled a lady I was bird-eyeing some years ago to abscond, because I told her that I was a writer. The comment that came out of her already poisoned mind was, 'Writers do not feed well in Nigeria.' Another lady was uncomfortable to stay in my house and did not want to do anything with me again in life after seeing from the entrance of my apartment to the floor, to the parlour, bedroom, kitchen, in short, the whole of my house were books and newspapers.
When I asked why she ran away I learned she was worried that I hadn't television, big records, computer games and other of her fantasies the environment had poisoned her mind with being more important than books. She saw books and newspapers as taboo and avoided the reader like a plague. Then, you wonder how seriously such a girl would take to reading. But by tomorrow, you will not be surprised to see her winning one national award, because she represented her state, school or the country as Miss XYZ, whereas her mates and elders who had buried their lives in books would not receive such acknowledgment. This is why I fought to make sure my words are not left unread, unknown on my altar and earn this nomination.
This is where the country has ebbed to. It is the same even in religion, everywhere. The journalist in Lagos or Abuja or elsewhere working hard to succeed in a pious manner is not given the same respect as his 419ner-mate enjoys or as the contractor, pension/police funds looters enjoy. Let me digress!
It is the same media that has been promoting and popularizing certain sections of religions, that have planted an obnoxious mindset, a thinking that they own the concept of 'God', simply because they are popular.
It would behove the authorities to give traditional believers the same status they have given to the two foreign religions of Christianity and Islam in the country. The marriages and activities of traditional believers should also be made popular and recognized. Recognised heads of villages in the country should be constitutionally empowered to sign traditional marriage bond. They should be allowed to enjoy any benefit that Christians and Muslims enjoy in Nigeria. Without this, Nigeria is yet to become a secular country!
I say that traditional believers should not (even atheists) be relegated in Nigeria, because Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa once wrote a book titled, 'God is not a Christian'. He says that one's conscientiousness about God depends on where one was born. If you were born say in Afghanistan you will probably be a Muslim; if you were born in England you will probably be a Christian and vis-à-vis. I want to appeal that our history as a people from different ethnic groups in Nigeria, did not start with the coming of the rapacious Imperial Masters. It is time to invalidate the constitution of Nigeria and make traces of a constitution that will show largely what we believe in. And practice as a people and not what Europe or America wants us to believe in.
Some of us have been writing for decades in Nigeria but still live a life of squalor. Footballers and artistes are promoted with funds. In this era of technologies, the internet is inundated with Nigerian writers. Many of them are not paid. Not even many of those working in the print houses. I was once told by a brother that came back from Europe that anything a freelancer contributed that was published in the newspapers there would, at least, place a plate of food on the table of the freelancer.
But the case here is that many of the newspapers houses are out of business and many more might go soon. Because, they do not have sponsors in government; their owners are not the occupants of either the state or federal government houses. The same is applicable to radio and TV stations. Some of these stations keep talking about football from the early hours in the morning they open to the next morning they want to on break. Because, Mr. President or Mrs. Governor is a fan of one foreign football clubs, whereas he or she is not a fan of one local football clubs, let alone, being a member of any literary organizations in the country that were instituted by individual efforts.
I've said in different forums that governments at all levels need to revive writers in Nigeria and the media houses as a matter of urgency. I have always said that the Nigerian government has to provide for the Nigerian writers/media men, like it has done to performance artistes in 2010. Government should invest in cultural infrastructure, such as the building of theatres, stadia, releasing funds to newspapers companies and hosting large festivals all over the country for writers/media men at all levels.
Government should build the Abuja Writers' Village, which the late Mamman Jiya Vatsa procured for the Nigerian writers in 1985. The 56 acres of land is located at Mpape, a suburb of the Federal Capital, Abuja. The lackadaisical manner with which government treat writers/media men in the country is largely responsible for the underdeveloped reading/Education culture in the country and, this should be quickly addressed if we are serious about developing reading culture in Nigeria.
The government should help writers/media men by building standard and state-of-the-art publishing, radio/TV industries to cut cost of publishing. Constant scarcity of printing materials and electricity problem should abate. Dearth of trained publishing personnel should be re-addressed. Writing and broadcasting in indigenous languages should be re-awakened. The inconsistent education policies and lack of direction on the part of operators should be quickly addressed. Piracy and poor promotion and distribution of books should be aggressively dealt with.
My thanks, again, is not enough for the efforts of one man in helping me reach this point at the Promasidor Quill Award today. But I would like to dedicate this to the Feature Editor of the Nigerian Pilot, Mr. Alozie Emma. While that may last, it might be imperative that authorities should beam their lights on people like Alozie. He is a hidden treasure.
I thank all of you who have gathered here today and have waited patiently as the awards activities unfold. It was my article titled, 'CSR: Companies Fare In Nigeria' that has brought me this far. We are only two nominees in the category of the awards called, 'Best CSR & Industry Report of the Year'. And one person won.
I thank my family members and relatives, my Chi, the organisers/sponsors of the awards, those who have assisted me in one way or another in my writing/media career. I thank the Nigerian Pilot, inventors of the internet, the media houses and journalists across the world for always being innovative even in this world of uncertainties. Where in many countries journalists are seen and treated as terrorists and their media houses, theatres for terrorism.
I send my warmest regards to all the pen-pushers who are unjustly thrown into the prison. My empathy also goes to writers/media men who were killed by the enemies of truth they tried to unravel, as I appreciate the invaluable nomination for the Promasidor QuillAwards for journalists.