*MEDIA BLACKOUT .AND THE COMPROMISE OF BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA HOUSES IN#BORNO*The war against insurgents, transparency in governance, governmental businesses, and plight of the masses are all believed to be portrayed by media apparatus within anygiven locality.None but only one of the fore mentioned is being practiced today in Borno State, as far as the media is concerned. Where insecurity, impunity and mismanagement of public resources is the order of the day. It is only the state government wishes that are being aired by conglomeration of media houses. Supposedly, the media outfits in the stateshould serve as watchdogs that help in checkmating governmental and citizenry affairs, and also, to provide balanced information that may strengthen the governance in the state and the governedas well.However, here in Borno, the reverse is obtainable. You may agree with me that the press have been compromised to a disastrous level, that Borno under governor Kashim Shettima have rendered Borno state to "A TOTAL MEDIA BLACKOUT" that put us in doom, where only suitable news to the government of the day are made public, while the voice of the common man is silenced.Thus, to my greatest surprise, almost all, including the international media outfits such as BBC Hausa and VOA Hausa are pocketed by the Borno State government. In fact, most members of the correspondents’chapel are not seen anywhere in the state scouting for news or developments to be reported, but rather, they are always stationed at the Government House Maiduguri. Talk less of the local media houses of NTA Maiduguri, PEACE FM and BRTV, that are fond of repeating news and programs, just to avoid airing of any news or program that may not favour thegovernment, that is why most residents are no longer patronising them. There are series of allegations that Borno State government have designated a special monthly Allowance for these media representatives, Ten Million Naira (10M),was said to be paid on monthly basis to the editors of major media houses that report from Maiduguri. This was believedto be facilitated by media aide to the governor called Isa Gusau, a former correspondent of Daily Trust Newspaper.The level of catastrophe done to us by this compromise is enormous and unquantifiable.This is because, the media kept away from the public and the outside world, a lot of information that are vital in the fight against the insurgents and the activities of some security agents who have commercialized local business activities.Also, embezzlement of public funds and the call for general assembly by Borno people to re-strategize the war against Boko Haram by engaging the service of local hunters by Borno State governmentwas kept mute to the outside world.There is an indication that never for once,the Federal allocations to the state and Local Government Areas were stopped and for the past six years or thereabout, almost 21 out of 27 local government areas are not accessible for any meaningful developmental projects and there is no any indication of saving theseallocations for future utilization. Yet no media house is questioning it.May I at this juncture enumerate some ofthe points that qualifies these allegationslabelled against the so-called media outfits in the State:But before I mention these points, I want make one thing clear. That National Broadcasting Commission and the proprietors of all the media houses in Borno should send investigative bodies to come down to Borno and verify my claims.1. That the Borno State government is allegedly said to be paying 10 million Naira to print, audio, and television mediastations that are reporting from the state on a monthly basis to dictate what is to be aired.2. All the media apparatus in the state have been compromised. In order backup my claims, I will like to draw an analogy of recent event. On the 7th July, 2017 VOA Hausa service in its morning transmission at 6:00 am, had aired a repeat broadcast that has been there for over a year in order to pre-empt the position of Borno Elders forum on the persisting security challenges in the state. This is because, it has been observed that the Borno Elders’ Forum have met on Thursday 6 July, to discuss matters of security and development in the state. However, on revealing the position of the elders by an insider in the corridor of power, the VOA Hausa correspondent, who happened to be the chairman of correspondent chapel was summoned to the government house to repeat a broadcast on the position of the elders, which was aired when the Borno people was said to have lost confidence on security outfits, sometime in 2016. This was deliberately done to overshadow the intended press release by the elders. The repeat broadcast was not uploaded to VOA's internet platform, simply to cover their dubious act (picture below). I tried severally to access it but it indicates N/A, meaning 'NotAvailable'.3. The Borno State government was allegedly building a broadcasting house to the famous Channels TV along Pompommari bypass. This broadcastinghouse was said to be fully funded by the government of Borno.4. Reports have reach to us that in an effort to paint some politicians in the state with Boko Haram saga, the governor through one power peddler and a Sokoto royalty have met and bribed media moguls like the owner of Leadership newspaper, Dailytrust, AIT, and numerous media representatives. The governor was said to be laundering tax payers’ money to bribe these media moguls and anyone he may so wish to use to promote his personal ambition. If you may recall, it is no longer business as usual when the federal government ofNigeria decided to relocate Abuja airport flights to Kaduna as a result of renovation of the Airport, the unclaimed 49 million naira (in 200 naira mint notes) found by EFCC at the Kaduna Airport was said to be for similar dubious gesture allegedly laundered by one of Borno State governor's aide. Yet, no proper investigative journalism was conducted to disclose the owner. Simply because the Abuja media itself was compromised.5. There is a clarion call from the Borno indigenes, to engage the service of hunters in the fight against insurgents. But the governor is so naive and adamant that he doesn't want to hear such and so the media is mute about it. The belief of the people of Borno is that, if Adamawa and Yobe will succeed by engaging the services of local hunters in the fight against insurgents, why not our beloved Borno?6. The correspondents’chapel have become partisan, that almost all of them are now sycophants. They are swimmingin luxury cars believed to be dashed to them by Borno State government.7. Most of the activities of pressure groups are not carried by these media correspondents.Perhaps, the talk of the town on the persistent security breakdown is enough to be reported on daily basis. Yet the media is not reporting.8. The only means of reaching out to media is through social networking and even this platform is dominated by pseudo (over 100 each) Facebook and WhatsApp accounts alleged to be managed by the unpatriotic media aides to the governor, who are mainly non indigenes ( Isa Gusau, Kumo, ChristopherG. Akaba and Ahmed Ishaq Ningi). Theseare the governor's mouthpiece who do not have the state at heart. A deliberate attempt to use them to destroy the few existing civil right activist in the state through fabricated blackmails.9. For the past one year or thereabout, the state government embarked on Verification of workers, many workers’ salaries were not paid and the planned verification exercise is headed by one unqualified junior civil servant called Bako. Because of his nonchalant attitude, the secretary to the state government and the chief of staff have severally tendered their resignations, though declined by the governor according to reports. The entire salaries of the state civil service are handled by this individual, without the knowledge or input of the staff of Ministry of Finance. Due to stepping on everyone's toes, the guy Bako was said to be given special security for protection. The verification exercise is yet to be concluded after thirteen (13) months, with

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