Ogheneochuko Siemuri
As elite, we are admonished never to hear nor read the news from one source but do our due diligence to know what is happening in our society because each news media is out for their own gain that is, working for or against a political part. The President’s visit to Japan for the TICAD7 has been reported as the visit to the Prime Minister who was away from Japan for the Annual G-7 Summit.
However, the purpose of the misleading news (President Buhari visit to Prime Minister who was away) was to point to the fact that Nigeria may be or has lost relevance on the international level and this is a call for a concern. Although, the TICAD7 meeting was supposed to be attended by Foreign Ministers assigned for this purpose not Presidents.
The big question is why was Nigeria not invited to the G-7 Summit? The answer proposed by the opposition party was that,“Nigeria was not invited to the G-7 summit because of governance and democracy challenges. For example, just a week before the summit began, Nigeria was censured for misrule by a G-7 member state. It will be recalled that on August 18, 2019, just a week before the G-7 summit in France began, the US Department of State released the 2019 Fiscal Transparency Report which classified the General Buhari led Nigerian government as “not fiscally transparent””.
What can we do? What must we do? Seek out information for yourself. Be aware that there is fake news out there seeking to divide us, make us fight ourselves. How do they do this? One of the most effective tools they have employed is name calling – labelling. (Examples: the Militants, separatists, etc) just to tell the masses not to listen to the genuine reasons and request our neighbours and brothers are demanding of them.
Be wary of the danger of a single story. Endeavor to acquire all facts. It is only then that you will have a balanced and more accurate opinion of the story.
‘‘Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance” – George Bernard Shaw.
Abdulsalami Abubakar Hall Press 