A Big Interview

As Editor I get to be asked a lot of questions...by members of my team, students of journalism and journalists in the field....I was asked recently what we call a big interview. Here's a brief answer:

A big interview should aim to provide insightful conversation with a person who is in the centre of news…hot issue! This may be due to some crisis, conflict, (positive or negative) political, economic, social, policy, (etc) changes. A big interview is one that has big impact and has the potential to set the news agenda, not just nationally but internationally.

Main features of a big interviewee:
*the person will be highly sought after by the media (e.g. the YarAdua interview after 50 days outside Nigeria)
*may be difficult to get probably because of their position or their very busy schedule (e.g.Sunusi Lamido Sunusi when he was appointed CBN Governor)
*he/she may be in the headlines may be highly contentious or controversial (e.g. Obasanjo following his ‘Yar Adua outburst)
*may be at the centre of the controversy, conflict or change (e.g. Jonah Jang following the Plateau crisis)
*may be “key” to the issue to in the headlines (e.g. David Kelly and the UK’s weapon of mass destruction)
*may be able to offer insights on an issue which other contributors may not do. (e.g. interview with ‘Yar Adua’s CSO Tilde on his account of the president’s Saudi sojourn)

Of course, the list can go on....

OBJ and a Cracking Story!

A Nigerian daily reports: "Obasanjo supervised the conduct of the general elections that ushered in the second civilian administration in the nation’s political history in 1979. That feat instantly catapulted him to the status of a world figure and prominent global player there after. In addition, he remains the only Nigerian that has ruled the country as a soldier and in civilian dispensation".

Reactions to OBJ's (as he is popularly known in Nigeria)call on President 'Yar Adua to resign on the grounds of ill-health continue pour like the august tropical rains!

Obasanjo is not at all new to controvercy, public outbursts and colourful behaviour which leave the public open-mouthed! So what's new here? Perhaps the timing of his remarks? Perhaps the invocaton of punishment from God? Perhaps the decision to make public 'Yar Adua's past medical records at a point that no one is in the dark as to the health condition of Nigeria's President.

Drama upon drama as we the people of the pen and airwaves continue to cover tirelessly a cracking story that is every editor's challenge.

'Yar Adua: To Be Or Not To Be

Nigeria's daily Vanguard reports that "the Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Michael Andoakaa (SAN) Federal has hailed the high court judgment, sitting in Abuja yesterday. The judgment ordered the Executive Council of the Federation (ECoF) to pass a resolution, within 14 days, on whether or not the continued absence of ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua from his duty post since November 23, 2009 on account of grave ill-health does not amount to permanent incapacity to perform the functions of his office".

Never in the history of Nigeria has the issue of the President's health been so ferociously debated to the point that it prevents reasonable, impassionate and rational postulations. All this stems from the divergent interests of various politicians and groups which fly at each other's throat.

Arguably if Nigeria overcomes this crucial challenge, it's democracy may emerge stronger and consequently more difficult to bring down. Not many are optimistic though.

Between Obasanjo and 'Yar Adua

OBJ is back in the news....good or bad. He was at a media dialogue in Abuja 21/01/2010:

When in the year 2006 the idea came up as to succession, I was convinced in my mind that a Southerner succeeding me will not augur well for Nigeria. You may not agree with that, you may not agree. I was convinced in my mind that.

Now, I was looking for somebody who will succeed me; who has three important qualities. One, he has enough intellectual capacity to run the affairs of Nigeria. Two, he has sufficient personal integrity to run the affairs of Nigeria. Three, he is sufficiently broad minded in knowledge, politically, religiously, socially, whatever to manage the affairs of Nigeria.

These three were important and very paramount in my mind (What about health? A participant at the dialogue shouted from his seat followed by a brief rowdiness). Wait, wait, wait, you may hear what you have never heard...Then Umaru Yar’adua who is now the President, I know he had kidney problem and was under dialysis. Some time earlier, he had gone abroad when he was governor of Katsina. When the idea was for him to contest, I asked him and he gave me a medical report and the medical report showed that he had come off dialysis.

I asked experts who then told me that if you were under dialysis or you are on dialysis and you are no longer on dialysis, it means you have had a successful kidney transplant and that you can live for as long as God may wish you to live.

Now, who am I and who are you not to accept that? (Applause). Wait, wait, wait; that was the situation and I...now that you want to hear...He went campaign and we campaigning together. And you will remember that at one stage of the campaign, he was run down. Chairman of our party then, Ahmadu Ali was also run down. Ahmadu Ali didn’t go abroad but he went abroad for check up. And then there was rumour that he was dead and I called him and put the telephone on speaker. And I said Umaru, are you dead or not (applause). And you heard his voice live and kicking; he came back and continued the campaign. That was the true situation, and to the best of my knowledge he wasn’t on dialysis after that. When the issue of dialysis came, he was well into his first term, which must mean one thing; that the kidney transplant is failing if it hasn’t failed. That you cannot blame on anybody. You cannot even blame it on him (Yar’adua).

So for people to say that I Olusegun Obasanjo deliberately picked somebody who is an invalid, I think it is the height of insult. How can I put so much into this country both in peace and in war and then think of giving this country to somebody who will run it down (Applause). How can I? Even if you don’t have the fear of God you will not think that way...and you said there is constitutional crisis, I will not comment on that. What I needed to say on that, I had said it as the chairman of my Board of Trustees last week and I won’t say anything more. The one that I need to say is the fact that nobody picked Yar’adua so bad he will not perform. If I did that God will punish me. Yes because I love this country so much that there is no reason why I should do that.

But wait, if you take up an appointment, a job, elected, appointed, whatever it is and then your health starts saying, I will not be able to deliver, to satisfy yourself and the people that you are supposed to serve, then there is the path of honour and the path of morality. And if you don’t know that, then you don’t know anything.

Nigeria's foreign minister Ojo Madueke on President 'Yar Adua's absence

Jan 22 (Reuters) - Nigeria's cabinet will decide
within 14 days whether President Umaru Yar'Adua is fit enough to
govern Africa's most populous nation after a two-month absence
for medical treatment, the Attorney General said on Friday.
The 58-year-old leader has not been seen publicly since
leaving on Nov. 23 to receive treatment for a heart ailment in
Saudi Arabia. He has not transferred power to his deputy,
triggering debate over the legality of government decisions.
Judge Dan Abutu ordered the cabinet to pass a resolution on
Yar'Adua's fitness within two weeks after a former lawmaker
brought a legal case against the government, saying his failure
to transfer power was in breach of the constitution.
"We will abide by the judgement of the court. The Executive
Council of the Federation will within 14 days, as directed,
consider a resolution on the state of the president's health,"
Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa said.
The Senate, which was briefed on Thursday on Yar'Adua's
health in a closed-door session, is due to meet next Tuesday for
an update and may also take a position on whether the president
should remain in office.
The cabinet unanimously agreed in early December, less than
10 days after Yar'Adua left for Saudi Arabia, that there were no
grounds to seek his resignation, rejecting calls for him to step
down or prove his fitness to govern.
Some political analysts say ministers are reluctant to come
out against Yar'Adua because they fear they would lose their
jobs if Vice President Goodluck Jonathan were to take over.
But pressure for a resolution has mounted since December.
Nigeria has had to cope with clashes between Christian and
Muslim gangs which killed hundreds of people in the central city
of Jos this week as well as the risk of resurgent violence in
the Niger Delta, the heartland of its mainstay oil industry.
More than 3,000 people marched to the state government
headquarters in the commercial capital Lagos on Thursday, a rare
public demonstration of political anger, demanding Yar'Adua give
up his executive powers or return to Nigeria immediately.
It was the second major street protest following a similar
demonstration in the capital Abuja.

"PATH OF MORALITY"
Nigeria's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Aminchi, said
a week ago Yar'Adua was expected to be discharged from hospital
very soon after showing significant recovery but there has been
no word on when he might return.
Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe declined to give a clear
answer when questioned in a BBC interview broadcast on Thursday.
"I am sure if the president is able to return yesterday, he
would come back by yesterday ... This president will do nothing
that jeopardises the national interest," he said.
"I do not rule out (a transfer of power to Jonathan) but he
should not be stampeded into doing that."
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Yar'Adua's direct
predecessor and his main sponsor to the presidency, defended
himself against accusations he had imposed an "invalid" on the
nation, but was less than equivocal in his support for Yar'Adua.
"If you take up a job, elected, appointed or whatever, and
then your health starts to fail you and you will not be able to
deliver ... to satisfy the people you are supposed to serve,
then there is a path of honour and path of morality," he said.
"If you don't know that, you don't know anything. I will
stop on that note," he told a briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
Obasanjo remains an influential figure within the ruling
party and his closeness to Jonathan means his influence over
government could grow should the vice president take over.
Abutu's ruling was in response to a case brought against the
government by a former lawmaker and an Abuja-based lawyer in the
hope that it would force Yar'Adua to hand over power.
Two similar suits by the Nigerian Bar Association and a
leading human rights lawyer are still awaiting judgement.
Abutu last week ruled Jonathan could exercise executive
powers but could not be "acting president", sparking confusion
over how far his authority extends while Yar'Adua is absent.
Jonathan on Thursday ordered the army to take over security
in and around Jos after days of clashes.
The opposition has questioned whether he is legally able to
deploy troops, saying the constitution gives only the president
that authority as commander-in-chief.
(For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the
top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/ )
(Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Randy Fabi)

Ten things every journalist should know in 2009

Ten things every journalist should know in 2009

Posted using ShareThis

This is a music video that i have found myself watching occasionally these days.

A friend of mine came to my house one weekend and she used my laptop. She sat at the kitchen table while i prepared lunch. I heard the video come playing from behind me and my friend humming.I listened from about meter a away and i thought...mmm, that's nice. "Who's she?" I asked.
"Fati Niger, I am sure you've heard of her before." I shook my head.
My friend replied, "you should."

Since then I have watched the video a number of times...there's something nostalgic to it...somehow i keep going back to it.

NIGERIA'S AILING PRESIDENT BREAKS SILENCE

Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua has spoken publicly for the first time since going into hospital in Saudi Arabia in November for heart treatment.

In his first interview since then, he told the BBC by telephone that he was recovering and hoped with "tremendous progress" to resume his duties. His long absence and speculation over his health have led to calls for him to hand over power to his vice-president. A protest in the capital, Abuja, has urged an end to the political limbo.

The silence over the president's health has fuelled rumours that he was critically ill - or even dead - and unable to return to power.

The fact that he did not designate his vice president to take over in his absence has led to fears of a power vacuum and a potential constitutional crisis. Doctors said in December that President Yar'Adua, 58, was suffering from acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining of the heart. He is also known to have kidney problems.

'We want a telecast'
The interview with President Yar'Adua was recorded late on Monday and first broadcast at 0530 GMT on Tuesday. It has been widely rebroadcast by Nigerian TV and radio stations.

Many Nigerians will be relieved to hear the president's voice, says our correspondent, but the calls to hand over power to the vice-president will continue.

The National Bar Association and two other groups have launched court cases calling for power to be transferred to Mr Jonathan.

Hundreds of protesters have marched through the streets of Abuja to the national assembly, which was to discuss the president's health on its first day back in session after the Christmas and New Year break.

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka addressed the rally, saying the president's continued absence - and the lack of an appointed replacement - was allowing corruption to flourish unchecked.

"There is a small cabal which profits by the hiatus in control, in government, in supervision," he said.

"Heaven knows what millions are going down the sink on the lack of supervision."

YAR'ADUA ILLNESS TIMELINE
23 November 2009: Goes to hospital in Saudi Arabia
26 November 2009: Presidential doctors say he has pericarditis - inflammation of the heart lining
23 December 2009: First court case filed called him to step down
30 December 2009: Chief justice sworn in. Lawyers say this is illegal in president's absence
5 January 2010: Two more court cases filed and a human rights group wants president declared "missing"
12 January 2010: President gives first interview since going to Saudi Arabia

BBC, Jan.2010

Ministry of Saboteurs

The Ministry is in the heart of town There is no missing it. It stands high and mighty Concrete walls made even stronger with iron rods and steel Hard labour creating a monster in size, intimidating young and old

This is the Ministry, the centre of all affairs Lives are made, livelihoods are earned. Initially through co-ordinated, organised means Means as stated in the almighty book of the land

Ministry of infrastructure, where water flows, Planes fly our skies and land safely and sound, Where I converse, communications lines powerful and sleek Lights across the streets in homes, hospitals working Catering for the ill, the weak, the damaged and the frail Or those expecting, ready to bring forth into the world a new Life

The Ministry which is in the heart of town Began to drawl and droop like an ailing monster Gradually it began to degenerate, tears rolling down Wetting the tiled floors that once shone like a mirror Now lying smudged with sputum spat by the passer-by

Ministry of infrastructure now breeding ground of saboteurs They, everywhere buzzing like flies, humming like bees From top to bottom: Messenger, Clerk, Security Officer, Administrator, Deputy Director, Super Director and Director General All working hard to achieve set goals not for the Ministry but for self

This is the Ministry, the centre of all crimes, known and unknown Lives are now destroyed, livelihoods now denied Through highly co-ordinated and organised means
Not stated in the mighty book, where no water flows The centre where nothing works: planes that fly our skies, Communications, queue-prone petrol pumps, hospitals, streets, Electricity, schools, banks, farmlands and oil of the Niger Delta

Ministry of Saboteurs, high and mighty, morally bankrupt Ruthlessly milking the cows of the land Contemptuously plundering with big-shouldered with impunity

The Ministry formally the heart of the land Now turned into Ministry of Saboteurs breaking souls Entrenching principles of unfair game, making sure all fail But they and their offsprings paying with their lives and their future,
Known and unknown to mankind and the land

The Yar'Adua BBC Interview Debate

The debate on whether the voice heard on the on 12th January was indeed that of President 'Yaradua of Nigeria is still raging. BBC Hausa got a telephone interview in English and Hausa with President Yar'Adua earlier this week. It generated a huge reaction in Nigeria and around the world. Here is some background from me, Editor of BBC Hausa.

---

Nigeria has been a whirlwind of rumour and speculation over the last week. The speculation was driven by uncertainty over the whereabouts and state of health of President Yar'Adua. He has been out of the country for more than 50 days.

The Hausa Service has an audience of 23 million people and they were contacting us, they were e-mailing us, they were texting us, they were blogging about us, and they were challenging us - "Please tell us what is happening with our President."

They were saying things like, "We rely on you to provide us with the truth - and we want the BBC to tell us the truth about Yar'Adua."

Senior government officials, who said he was receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, maintained he was on his way to a full recovery following heart problem.

Four weeks after his departure, rumours were rife that President Yar'Adua was in a coma, others said he was brain-damaged. One report even claimed that he had died on the 10 January.

Rumours are not new to Nigeria; but then neither is speculation that Yar'Adua had died. During his presidential campaign in 2007 the would-be President Yar'Adua collapsed and was subsequently hospitalised in Germany.

In a dramatic response to speculation that he was dead, the then President Olusegun Obasanjo made a nationally televised phone call to Germany to convince Nigerians that Yar'Adua was indeed alive.

That was three years ago and Presisdent Obasanjo's intervention happened only hours after Yar'Adua had arrived in Germany. Last night, one of my thoughts was: if Nigerians needed to be convinced that Yar'Adua was alive after so short a time from falling ill in 2007, then such assurances were long overdue after 50 days of silence and absence.

The interview today aired across Nigeria and the World and put to rest the wilder stories. It has not put to rest complaints from the opposition about the extended absence and uncertainties it raises. And on the internet some new questions have been flying such as "Was it really Yar'Adua on the BBC?"


By way of an answer let me say that I and the interviewer thoroughly researched the interview before it was done. We dealt with people we know who are close to the President to set it up.

Before recording, Mansur Liman, who did the interview, had an informal chat to convince himself who we were talking to. In short days of checking on the president's whereabouts and condition culminated in the interview taking place.

One of my key concerns in broadcasting to a country as complex and sensitive as Nigeria, is making sure the BBC gets it right and our editorial checks have to be rigorous. With over 20 million Nigerians listening to the BBC on a regular basis, I feel pretty motivated to get the checks right.

One final thought: this is not the first time BBC Hausa has had cause to get to the heart of the story surrounding President Yar'Adua. In 2007 BBC Hausa service was the first to get an interview with Yar'Adua while he was receiving medical attention in Germany - again dispelling the rumours.

----------

Eighteen months, one year and half, since the cold winds blew away my leaves
My green cover, adorning my fleshy bark, brown though not chocolate brown
Light brown, but when baked in Kano’s sun, a shade or two darker but still bright
My green, I stroke my leaves, the curtain that covers my soul and gives it warmth
Suddenly came the ruthless winds from the East unruly, untamed and underestimated
By she who is confident in the sweet molten sweat of love, spoilt rotten by whispers day and night

Eighteen months, one year and half, since the cold winds blew away my leaves
One by one flew my cover, exposing naked a soul reminiscent of an abandoned city
That once was the centre of a universe that brought the young, old, he who has and he who doesn’t
Up went my curtain, jumping up and down to pull it down again to cover my brown bark from shame
But not much shame as pain, cooking from the inner pits of a hurting soul, baked with boiling blood
Resulting all from she who thinks ‘tis enough to love for its reward spoils one rotten day and night

Eighteen months, one year and half, since the cold winds blew away my leaves
But today, this very day I begin to see from a distance twilight, peaking slowly, its needle pointing
In the direction where the cold winds blew ruthlessly my green leaves, the cover of my soul.
But that soul was never broken, for it in eighteen months, one year and half, hand-picked each leaf
Arranging painfully, slowly forming a wreath meant to honour a heart that never failed to love
Eighteen months, one year and half, today cold winds are gone and my green, my love is reborn