{"id":2658,"date":"2020-07-27T13:04:58","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T13:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vor.org.ng\/?p=1284"},"modified":"2022-08-14T01:02:40","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T01:02:40","slug":"ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Ismaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published Saturday, July 25, 2020
\nIsmaila Isa Funtua and NIJ House, Victoria Island, Lagos
\nBy Steve Osuji
\n\"\"
\nA MOST DUBIOUS HONOUR: I am scandalized! Any serious journalist in Nigeria today ought to be miffed by this shocking immortalization of a certain Ismaila Funtua, now deceased.
\nI find it difficult to believe that the leadership of Nigeria\u2019s media elected to name its flagship property after this fellow.
\nI am full of doubts and scepticism that media leaders in Nigeria sat and reached a consensus to hoist Funtua on our rooftop as the poster boy of Nigeria\u2019s media.
\nTo be sure, could the leaders of the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) which comprises the Newspapers\u2019 Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) agree on this?
\nIf actually they did, it amounts to nothing short of a harakiri, self-immolation of the media establishment in Nigeria. It is a shame indeed.
\nI am much distraught that I have to call out my former publisher and friend, Mr Nduka Obaigbena in this matter but being the head of NPAN which serves as a sort of honorary head of our industry today, he will be required to make further explanations and proffer more justification why Ismaila Funtua deserves such an honour in the midst of Nigeria\u2019s rich pantheon of journalism legends.
\nIf we had even one, yes, ONE good reason why this man has been so robed, one would be able to rest easy but here are the reasons we have been handed:
\n\u201cFor his untiring contributions to the development of journalism and freedom of press in Nigeria and around the world\u2026\u201d
\nOther reasons include:
\n* the co-founding of Democrat Newspapers;
\n* presidency of the NPAN at a time of national crises;
\n* life patron of NPAN;
\n* serving on the board of the International Press Institute;
\n* serving as chairman of board of the Nigerian Institute of journalism.
\nNow how do all these add up to greatness in media and journalism in Nigeria? How have all these impacted positively on our trade?
\nCo-founding a newspaper which is not defunct? In fact The Democrat was dead on arrival, making little impact and leaving hardly any imprint on the Nigerian media scene.
\nAnd at that, I can count a thousand defunct newspapers and magazines some of which are sorely missed even long after they were rested.
\nHow then could co-founding a paper be big deal? All other so-called achievements tagged to late Funtua are mere honorifics many of which were opportunistic conferments.
\nA FIELD OF GIANTS: Meanwhile, Nigeria\u2019s media has such a rich history that one is pained to see standards being laid with mediocrity and opportunism.
\nIn an industry peopled by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Babatunde Jose, Segun Osoba, Olu Aboderin, Sam Amuka Pemu, Adamu Ciroma, Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, Chris Okolie, Felix Ibru, Raymond Dokpesi, Nduka Obaigbena, Stanley Macebuh, Wada Maida, Lade Bonuola, Kabiru Yusuf, John Momoh, Tony Momoh, Chris Anyanwu, Ajibola Ogunshola, Lanre Idowu, Frank Aigbogun, Bilkisu Yusuf, MKO Abiola, Orji Uzo Kalu, to name only a few of very numerous illustrious men and women who have impacted our media world and profession in a deep-reaching way.
\nWhere, for instance, would you fit Funtua on this list? A shortlist at that.
\nHow many journalists and media men did he employ sustainably and for how long?
\nIn all his activities in the industry, how many professionals did he mentor? How did he improve the lot of various media businesses or speak on our behalf especially as a close associate of the current government?
\nI don\u2019t remember any seminal contribution or proposition at any fora for the edification of journalism by Funtua. On what basis, therefore, is this honour?
\nTHE WATCHDOG IS DEAD AND BURIED: One is of the opinion that most of us have long forgotten the import and magnitude of this noble profession. We are now bereft of professional rectitude required of our business; we are on a rollercoaster, it\u2019s now a situation of just anything goes.
\nIt of course explains why JUST ANYTHING ALSO GOES IN OUR DEAR COUNTRY.
\nCorruption, fraud and scandalous behaviours break out in public offices all around us every day. Governance in Nigeria has become an endless string of scandals and misdemeanors. This is because our MEDIA AND JOURNALISM HAVE FAILED! The WATCHDOG didn\u2019t only die, something worse happened to it, it became a lap dog \u2013 it became part of the problem!
\nIt makes excuses for inept and poor leadership, it covers malfeasance, it colludes with officialdom and it honours rogue officials.
\nBEATIFICATION OF A VILLAIN: Even if we forgive Funtua\u2019s puny achievements in the media, how can we forgive or feign ignorance of his seeming ignoble roles in governance in Nigeria in the last five years?
\nIt is common knowledge that the late Funtua was a close associate of President Muhammadu Buhari. It is common knowledge that in cahoots with Mamman Daura and a couple of others they represent the kitchen cabinet (read CABAL) of this presidency.
\nIt is common knowledge that this small group may be held responsible for our country\u2019s unyielding slide into a monumental debacle.
\nOf course, this column is also not ignorant of common stories of alleged unbridled brigandage tagged on this circle, it only chooses to be silent about them.
\nIf these be common knowledge how\u2019s it that our media leadership made up of NPAN, NGE AND NUJ would now seem to collude to uphold and venerate what seems like utter villainy?
\nIs Nigeria media today some form of Boko Haram in another guise? But even that terror group may get a fairer hearing in the public tribunal for they make no pretences to be pro-society; besides they tend to destroy the physical body.
\nBut our media leadership would be destroying our body, soul and spirit by the time they are done.
\nSEARING OUR PSYCHE: The renaming of the NIJ HOUSE to Ismaila Funtua House is a sear not only on the very heart and soul of media and journalism in Nigeria, it portends a permanent damage to the psyche of our nation.
\nUNLESS THIS DECISION IS RESCINDED\u2026
\nI hold as follows:
\n* I shall renounce my membership of the NGE and NUJ,
\n* I shall boycott the NIJ HOUSE,
\n* I shall seek every opportunity to campaign against this travesty and canvass that all journalists of goodwill should do the same.
\nSource: Newsnigeria.com.ng<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published Saturday, July 25, 2020 Ismaila Isa Funtua and NIJ House, Victoria Island, Lagos By Steve Osuji A MOST DUBIOUS HONOUR: I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[737],"tags":[262,263,179,264,265,266,267],"class_list":["post-2658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this","tag-ismaila-isa-funtua","tag-lagos","tag-nij-house","tag-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria","tag-steve-osuji","tag-victoria-island"],"yoast_head":"\nIsmaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria! - Voice of Reason<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ismaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria! - Voice of Reason\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Published Saturday, July 25, 2020 Ismaila Isa Funtua and NIJ House, Victoria Island, Lagos By Steve Osuji A MOST DUBIOUS HONOUR: I…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Voice of Reason\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-27T13:04:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-14T01:02:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ismaila-Funtua-300x300-1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/\",\"name\":\"Ismaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria! - Voice of Reason\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ismaila-Funtua-300x300-1.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-27T13:04:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-14T01:02:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#\/schema\/person\/91559f4e2f3e76b97df68b1ffb23afa4\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ismaila-Funtua-300x300-1.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ismaila-Funtua-300x300-1.jpeg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ismaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/\",\"name\":\"Voice of Reason\",\"description\":\"Your No. 1 Source of Mind Blowing Articles\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#\/schema\/person\/91559f4e2f3e76b97df68b1ffb23afa4\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd607f124d89a2e9ee3bcd1565b126ea93e9164bf63a6d09fa320f456a4e9425?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd607f124d89a2e9ee3bcd1565b126ea93e9164bf63a6d09fa320f456a4e9425?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\"],\"url\":\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ismaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria! - Voice of Reason","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ismaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria! - Voice of Reason","og_description":"Published Saturday, July 25, 2020 Ismaila Isa Funtua and NIJ House, Victoria Island, Lagos By Steve Osuji A MOST DUBIOUS HONOUR: I…","og_url":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/","og_site_name":"Voice of Reason","article_published_time":"2020-07-27T13:04:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-14T01:02:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ismaila-Funtua-300x300-1.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/","url":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/","name":"Ismaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria! - Voice of Reason","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ismaila-Funtua-300x300-1.jpeg","datePublished":"2020-07-27T13:04:58+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-14T01:02:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#\/schema\/person\/91559f4e2f3e76b97df68b1ffb23afa4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ismaila-Funtua-300x300-1.jpeg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ismaila-Funtua-300x300-1.jpeg","width":300,"height":300},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/07\/27\/ismaila-funtua-at-times-like-this-ones-ashamed-to-be-a-journalist-in-nigeria\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ismaila Funtua: At Times Like This, One\u2019s Ashamed To Be A Journalist In Nigeria!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#website","url":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/","name":"Voice of Reason","description":"Your No. 1 Source of Mind Blowing Articles","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#\/schema\/person\/91559f4e2f3e76b97df68b1ffb23afa4","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd607f124d89a2e9ee3bcd1565b126ea93e9164bf63a6d09fa320f456a4e9425?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd607f124d89a2e9ee3bcd1565b126ea93e9164bf63a6d09fa320f456a4e9425?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor"],"url":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3744,"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2658\/revisions\/3744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}