Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory
Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) has frowned at the continued
detention of the leader of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN),
Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, by the Department of State Security
(DSS).
Zakzaky is being held by the DSS while facing charges for
culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, and disruption of public
peace.
On Tuesday, members of the movement invaded the National
Assembly to demand the lawmakers’ intervention in the release of
their leader. During the confrontation with security agents,
several vehicles were damaged while five policemen were
injured.
Forty suspects were arrested in connection with the
incident.
Speaking with newsmen on Thursday, Sagay advised the Federal
Government to obey court orders and release Zakzaky on bail instead
of detaining him perpetually without trial
He said, “I have already expressed this opinion almost a year
ago that in the absence of anything that I know, apart from the
fact that everybody is aware of, I think the best option is to
release him, even if it is on bail”.
“That is better instead of keeping him there and using him as an
attraction for these gatherings that are disrupting everywhere and
creating a level of anger and emotions that can upset the society
and create unnecessary tension”.
“Except if there is something we don’t know, I really don’t see
why he is being kept for all these years. That is my sincere view”
he said.
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Head
of Mass Comm Unilorin, Dr. A.L. Azeez and Saad Yushau Shuaib at
Doyin Mahmoud Annual Lecture
AMCOS Unilorin: Publishers Urge Student Journalists to
Flush out Quacks in New Media
The Publisher of Cable Newspapers, Mr. Simon Kolawole and
Founder of PRNigeria, Mallam Yushau Shuaib have called on campus
journalists and journalism graduates to brace up in removing
charlatans influencing the contents in new media.
The media personalities made the
call at the 10th Doyin Mahmoud Lecture of the Department of Mass
Communication, University of Ilorin.
The annual lecture was in honor of the veteran journalist and
pioneer Head of Department, Late Doyin Mahmoud.
In his lecture titled “The Future of Journalism,” Simon Kolawole
who was the former editor of THISDAY said there is a serious
struggle between professional journalism and the “dubious” concept
called citizen journalism “which is no journalism”.
Represented by Afolabi Gambari, a
former features editor of National Mirror, Kolowole said end users
of news are increasingly depending on the social media,
particularly Facebook and Twitter, for information..
“If care is not taken, the future of journalism will be
dominated by quacks and the professionals will become outsiders.
This is already happening and creating a serious crisis of
confidence in the news media,” he said.
“Anybody with access to a smart phone and data now fancies
himself or herself as a journalist. They go on websites and the
social media to mine information and begin to reproduce. Before you
know what is happening, they tell you they are ‘citizen
journalists’ and begin to do damage to journalism.
“I am of the view that you don’t have to study journalism to be
a journalist. Some of the most respected journalists in Nigeria
today did not study journalism or mass communication. However,
there are two ways of learning: either in school or on the job…
Anyone who has spent between one year and three years in a newsroom
under a good editor will learn the important things about
journalism.”
In his remarks as the Guest of Honour, Mallam Yushau Shuaib
urged campus journalists to boost the scope of knowledge beyond
what they are taught by contributing regular reports and opinion
articles in the media to improve their skills.
The founder of PRNigeria who was represented by his son Saad
Yushau at the event also made a token donation for the magazine of
Association of Mass Communication Students (AMCOS.
The Head of Department, Dr. A.L.
Azeez in his remarks encouraged students to endure the rigor of
their discipline and build themselves so that they can stand out in
the media industry when they graduate.
The Director of Directorate of Corporate Affairs Commission,
University of Ilorin; Mr. Kunle Akogun also implored the audience
to take the bull by the horn so as to separate the wheat from the
tares in the journalistic practices.
The President of the Association, Comrade Opeyemi Adesina the
lecture is held annually in honour of Mahmoud, late veteran
journalist and former head of the department of mass communication
at Unilorin.
He said Late Doyin was the pioneer editor-in-chief of Daily
Independent Newspaper. He served as a training manager at the
Guardian Newspaper, after serving as deputy editor of The Sunday
Newspaper. He was also a former editor of The Herald newspaper.
Mahmoud died on September 20, 2009, at the University of Ilorin
Teaching Hospital, aged 56.
By PRNigeria