By Sunny Igboanugo

That the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), has become the new face of journalism in Nigeria, is no longer an issue for debate. It has become a definite, constant and acceptable fact over the years, when it took the centrestage in providing a new impetus for the practice in the country by aligning itself to the emerging global best practices of the profession.

What is new is that the body is also proving itself as a formidable platform for shaping information, thoughts and ideas, critical not only to pulling Nigeria out of the muddy pit in which it appears to have sunk in recent times, but providing the planks, which nailed together would create the platform for its quantum leap into the future.

In other words, GOCOP, has become a bastion for the stimulus to the New Nigeria that has crept into and remained in the national consciousness quite recently. That much was confirmed last week when the body assembled in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital. It was the eighth edition of the Yearly GOCOP conference, which began few years after the founding of the body, by a group of practitioners in the online news platforms – who keyed-in to the emerging media practice that has since grown to dominate the world.

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Initially, the idea for the formation of the group was to streamline the operation of practitioners to ensure that members – all well-established journalists – not only deviated from the suffusing bad-practices that non-professionals, rookies and outright fraudsters had introduced into the business, but took charge to ensure strict professional ethics as well as share intelligence, including business information on the realities of the new media platform.

That much has since been achieved by not only ensuring the strict and tall criteria set for admitting its membership – intending members must have spent at least 10 years in core journalism, have established office with a compliment of at least three staff, etc – but maintaining adequate monitoring mechanism to guarantee standard.

With that in the kitty and keeping to the ethics and maintaining standard no longer an issue, the group has since moved into the next stage of agenda setting – in itself, a critical component of the media functions. Over the years, the group has hosted many prominent Nigerians from all segments of the economy where information is not only shared internally but projected externally all geared towards national development and how to wake the sleeping giant many people have likened Nigeria as.

So, for four days – October 1 – the day of arrival to October 4 – departure – the 104-member body converged on beautiful city of Lokoja, capital of Kogi State for yet, another attempt at National Discourse to find the best answers to the National Question. Venue was the Reverton Hotels in the heart of the city, in a state that is said to be currently rediscovering itself as the base of Nigeria’s historic beginning.

Recall that Lokoja, once housed Fredrick Lugard, the British Lord and administrator, who provided the needle and thread with which Nigeria, hitherto, a conglomeration of divergent ethnic tongues, values and cultures, was knitted together, and therefore is ascribed a special place in the history of the country, with all the relics and structures, still evident till date.

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Usman Ododo, Governor of Kogi State, made no pretenses over his recourse to this historic fact in his detailed account on how he is determined to make the state not only a cynosure of eyes but a demonstrable pivotal base to mimic in Nigeria’s road to self-discovery. In his time in office, he promised to restore the state as the home of tourism in Nigeria and an economic hub, using all the natural infrastructures – those either buried in the ground, provided by nature or built by human hands.

Praising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu profusely, Ododo told his audience: Kogi State is not joining protests to end bad governance in the country because we are seeing the impact of Mr President’s administration and his economic policies. Our administration has hit the ground running on road infrastructure development, investment in food production.

This is where we are doing our protests through mechanised farming with the view to bringing down the high costs of food in the state. Our administration in the state is all inclusive regardless of tribe and religion, among other fault lines. This government is the people’s government. We are silently turning things round in the state. We have signed up for the open government partnership. We are working to ensure that the resources of Kogi state work for the people of the state.”

Details of these, the governor provided in his several literatures, which were distributed to the GOCOP members and his speech to flag open the conference. Represented by Salifu Joel, his deputy, he was emphatic that Kogi was on the path to rediscovery in the Nigerian essence and true growth and prosperity.

This position was emphasised by Olorunfemi Kingsley Fanwo Commissioner for Information and Communication when he promised an encore next year to showcase how the state would have transformed in its journey to recreate itself as the bedrock of Nigerian rejuvenation. “You’re going to come back next year for us to show you what we mean when we say that Kogi would become the nation’s centre of attraction,” he told the visitors at a dinner organised for the GOCOP members to end the conference.

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But that was at the subnational level. Beyond that was the issues that took the centre-stage, which were captured in the theme: Nigeria: Tackling Insecurity, Power Deficit, And Transitioning To Digital Economy, issues believed to be at the core of the current parlous state of affairs in the country. For more than 15 hours that were spent on the subject matters, in the two days the parley lasted, Tukur Buratai, former Chief of Army Staff, Liyel Ikoke, former Chairman of the Power Sector Technical Board of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC-CEO), Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), all provided key insider information on the need-to-do basis, for Nigeria to rise from the bottomless pit despair and engage the gear for a jet-like leap into the future.

With Yusuf Mammam, former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain as Chairman, Rotimi Ajayi, a Professor in the Department of Political Science, Federal University Lokoja and Debrah Ogazuma, Edutainment Communicator and Veteran Broadcaster, dissected the papers as lead discussants.

One key feature of this year’s edition, was the introduction of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), in which the GOCOP President led members on a visit to two orphanage homes – Margaret Garba Ohiani Orphanage/Less Privileged Home and Rehoboth Children’s Homes, in Lokoja, during which various food items were donated.

By the time the parley rose on the evening of Thursday, October 3, a new set of templates have been reached through the gleaning and extensive discussions on the papers presented from Buratai, who spoke on the crisis of insecurity that is threatening to overwhelm the country in the last decade and more, Imoke, who spoke on the decades-old intractable power supply malaise and Maina, who pointed to the limitless benefits of the digital economy, it was clear that like in the past, a surgical operation had been performed to discover the nation’s main afflictions.

Observations and projections from the event:

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Security:

Since Nigeria returned to democracy 25 years ago, we have been experiencing security challenges ranging from Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist agitations to Niger Delta militancy. These security challenges have no doubt impacted negatively on the Nigerian economy thus, causing economic hardships on the citizens. The Conference notes that poverty and high unemployment rate which is close to about 40% today are major factors contributing to insecurity across the country.

It notes weak governance, inconsistent government policies and widespread corruption in the security forces as factors leading to compromising efforts in tackling insecurity effectively. The Conference acknowledges the federal government’s efforts in significantly degrading the Boko Haram insurgency through the use of technology and intelligence, and notes however, that insurgent attacks have continued unabated, especially in the north-east region.

The Conference therefore, calls for decentralization of security by granting state governments greater control over local security forces so as to improve regional responses to insecurity. It further advocates the urgent need to strengthen our local security architecture through Community Policing, which will no doubt improve intelligence gathering, foster trust between security forces and communities, and ensure a more proactive response to local threats.

The Conference stresses the need for increased funding for Security Agencies, while emphasizing the need to reduce corruption in the procurement process so as to ensure judicious use of available resources. To address the root causes of banditry, kidnapping, and farmer-herder conflicts, the government should implement development initiatives targeting rural poverty and job creation.

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The Conference opines that tackling insecurity effectively depends largely on political will and the right leaders that will see corruption as evil and confront it frontally. It therefore charges members of GOCOP to take interest in interrogating the governance process that will ensure that committed and sincere leaders emerge to pilot the affairs of the country.

The Conference realizes that there is a corollary relationship between poverty and insecurity. Hence, it calls for specific economic empowerment programs targeting the youths such as entrepreneurship training, and access to financing for small and medium enterprises, SMEs.

POWER DEFICIT:

In Nigeria, electricity supply remains one of the most significant constraints to economic growth despite several power reforms that have been introduced since 1999 by successive governments. The Conference laments that despite huge resources that have been expended on electricity generation and distribution, Nigeria can only manage to deliver 4,000 to 5,000 megawatts.

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It notes that Nigeria’s per capita electricity consumption which is around 150 to 200 kWh per year, is too low compared to other African countries and only reflects challenges in electricity access, infrastructure, and supply. On the way forward in addressing Nigeria’s power deficit, the Conference enjoins conscious efforts aimed at diversifying generation capacity through investment that guarantees expansion of the gas pipeline network, to ensure more stable gas supply to power plants.

The Conference identifies the need to diversify Nigeria’s energy mix by increasing the share of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and small hydropower projects that could provide electricity to areas that are not well-served by the grid. It observes that the current transmission system is not working hence, calls  for the unbundling of the Transmission Company of Nigeria to allow greater private sector involvement in the transmission network.

The Conference advises the government to encourage more private sector investment in the power sector by creating a more stable and predictable regulatory environment to attract long-term investments. It notes that this is achievable if the government could stick to agreed contracts, reduce political interference, and ensure a transparent regulatory process.

Transition to Digital Economy:

The significant gains recorded through liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in 2001 notwithstanding, Nigeria still lags behind in digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and the adoption of digital technologies in government and business processes.

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The Conference notes that transitioning to a Digital Economy remains a major challenge for the country due to inadequate broadband penetration and unreliable internet services. It observes further that despite the fact that Nigeria boasts a young and dynamic population, digital literacy remains low, limiting the ability of the workforce to participate in the global digital economy.

The Conference agrees that Nigeria’s transition to a digital economy holds immense potential for transforming its economic landscape, creating jobs, and driving inclusive growth. Therefore, to fast-track this transition, the Conference calls on the government to prioritize infrastructure development, digital literacy, favourable regulations, and indigenous innovation.

It also advises that the government should address challenges such as poor internet access, regulatory uncertainty, and cybersecurity risks, noting that opportunities in fintech, e-commerce, agritech, and digital services present significant growth potential for Nigeria. The Conference lauds GOCOP for promoting responsible online publishing devoid of fake news, and urges its members to continue to discharge their responsibilities with patriotism.

GOCOP also charges its members to key into the various digital platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to promote their products or services and engage more with their audiences. GOCOP thanks the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Usman Ododo, members of the State Executive Council and the good people of the state for providing the necessary facilities that made the hosting of the 8th annual conference of the Guild a huge success. GOCOP reiterates its commitment to continue to promote ethical and professional journalism, foster collaboration as well as advocate for the interests of online publishers in Nigeria.

Maureen Chigbo, incumbent President, who had acknowledged the great work and achievements of the body through its progressions under Mojeed Muskilu, the pioneer President, Dotun Oladipo, his successor, had ended her welcome address by noting that: “Like a river will wash away all the stress of the last year and energise us to forge ahead with our businesses successfully until we meet again in October 2025.”

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She had also acknowledged the numerous individuals and entities that contributed in the successes of the event, such as the Olufemi Soneye of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Horatius Egua, Director, Special Duty at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the managements of Dangote Group, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Sovereign Trust Insurance PLC, among others.

As the members packed their bags to depart their rooms and head back to their individual bases across the country, one central thought was evident – GOCOP, which began as an idea of a few people, has like the tiny mustard seed grown to huge tree to provide homes for all manner of habitations that speaks on the nation’s diversity, the manure to nurture all the plants representing its myriad ideas and the vibrant voice in its ecosystem to project the idea of a New Nation.

Kogi, was good. Lokoja was the first to host the event outside Lagos and Abuja. By identifying and striking a symbiotic relationship with GOCOP, Ododo, has proved his vision, foresight as well as determination not only to lay bay his government to public glare, but to project his state into the future. From the confluence of ideas in the Confluence State, who knows who next?

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For the first time since the video of Adams Oshiomhole taunting her for being “childless” Betsy Obaseki, wife of Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has come out with full reply to the former governor and her husband’s predecessor, over the comment, which has raised a lot of dust across the country with echoes as far as the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Against the backdrop of reports that Remi Tinubu, wife of President Bola Tinubu, who was said to have been rankled with the statement, actually summoned Oshiomhole, former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Edo First Lady, on Saturday, rejected the tag of being barren, stating that she indeed had multiple miscarriages and stillbirths.

She told a group of 200 Edo women living outside the country, in a live video during a zoom meeting that everyone was created by God for a purpose, advising childless women to see themselves not as barren but as fruitful, potential and proud mothers of children that would come in God’s time, citing herself as an example.

Speaking alongside Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, wife of Esua Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, she reminded women, Obaseki also shared a message of encouragement for women who, like herself, had faced the pain of miscarriages and stillbirths, urging them not to feel discouraged or defined by their losses.

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Hear her: “I dare to call you fruitful. You and I are potential and proud mothers of children that will come in God’s time. Enjoy the life God has given you. My words of comfort to you, like myself, who have conceived and experienced miscarriages, painful stillbirths, and evacuations of babies who died in our wombs is that everyone was created by God for a purpose.

“And as a result, have no children to show for the pain we have endured; you are not barren. Take your mind off your challenge, and before you know it, children will start coming. My contributions to the society are far greater than just being a mother. Being fruitful is not limited to childbearing but about impacting lives and creating positive change in the society. There is no point in feeling bad. Women can fulfill God’s purpose in many ways beyond motherhood.”

By Sunny Igboanugo

On Thursday, June 20, 2024, President Bola Tinubu announced Hashimu Argungu as the new Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC). He is the sixth in the present dispensation, as the Chairman of the body, which history dates back to the 1957 Constitutional Conference, otherwise known as the Willinck Minorities Report, with the main objective of achieving ethnic balance in the structure and characterisation of the Nigerian Police.

Since returning to civilian rule in 1999, Nigeria has seen five other PSC Chairmen – Simon Okeke, appointed by Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2001, Parry Osayande, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), appointed in 2010 by Goodluck Jonathan, then President, Mike Okiro, Musilu Smith, and Solomon Arase, who all retired as Inspectors General of Police (IGPs). While Okiro was also appointed by Jonathan, Smith and Arase, were both appointed by Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 and 2023 respectively.

Argungu, is therefore the first PSC boss appointed by Tinubu. Whatever prompted the President to name the retired super cop as his choice to manage this strategic body, created for the recruitment of police personnel and more specifically, the reward and punishment of senior police officers in Nigeria from the ranks of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), and above, the result has shown that it is a good pick.

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Indications have shown that the PSC boss is proving by the day that he did not only pass through the police institution in his 32-year service, but the institution also passed through him, as his words, actions and deeds showcase him as not only having a hands-on understanding of his environment, but possesses the magic lamp, from which he could spring the genie that solves very knotty problems, even those that have defied his predecessors.

Picture this! Since 2018, when Buhari, then President, gave his nod for the recruitment of 60,000 constables into the police force – 10,000 each year for six years, only 10,000 are said to have gone through the process successfully. The rest exercises have been mired in one controversy or the other, as a result of the infighting between the two super powers in the police structure in the country.

Take the latest effort as a test-case.  For about six years now, the thorny issue of the recruitment of these junior police personnel, had seen Argungu’s predecessors and past IGPs, on a war-path over the modalities for conducting the exercise.

Recently, precisely on June 15, 2024, authorities of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), shot down another effort in this regard when it roundly rejected a recruitment exercise embarked upon by the PSC, after a Supreme Court judgement, which clearly stated that it was within the purview of the commission to recruit personnel for the force.

In a statement announcing the decision, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and spokesman of the force, said: “This became necessary upon being inundated with a series of complaints and allegations of corruption raised by unsuspecting candidates and stakeholders on the irregularities that marred the exercise most especially the disappearance of the names of screened candidates who were successful to the last stage.

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“Upon careful scrutiny of the list released on the Police Service Commission portal, it was discovered that several names of persons purported to be names of successful candidates are those who did not even apply and therefore did not take part in the recruitment exercise.

“The published list contains several names of candidates who failed either the Computer Based Test (CBT) or the physical screening exercise or both. There are those who made it to the last stage of the exercise but were disqualified, having been found medically unfit through the standardised medical test but who also made the list of successful candidates as published by the PSC. Most worrisome is the allegation of financial dealings and corrupt practices leading to the outcome where unqualified and untrainable individuals have been shortlisted.”

But in a prompt pushback, the PSC accused the police of flagrant abuse of ethics, the Constitution and valid judgment of the apex court of the land, demanding clear and verifiable evidence of the claim of fraud in the exercise, while indicating that there was no going back on its decision regarding the existing list.

Ikechukwu Ani, its spokesman, while conveying the commission’s position, regretted, in a statement on June 21, 2024 that since 2019, when a former Inspector General of Police hijacked the soft copy of an ongoing recruitment exercise and forcefully completed the exercise without the input of the Commission – the statutory body solely charged with such responsibility, the Commission has not been allowed to perform this constitutional duty.
“The Commission has at every turn suffered several indignities in its attempt to perform functions provided to it by the Constitution even after the Supreme Court decided the matter in its favour. This show of brute force and intimidation by the Police and most recently inducements of hired writers to run down the Commission in the Media is a serious affront on the mandate of the Commission,” the statement, said.

Dismissing the allegation and accusing the NPF of reluctance to abide by the decisions of the apex court, he added: “The Commission demands that the Police should provide verifiable evidence to prove the allegations peddled against it as it is obvious that it is a case of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it. It is important to state that due process was meticulously followed throughout the exercise and the Commission wishes to assert its prerogative to exercise full control over recruitments into the Nigeria Police Force.”

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According to him, even when the verdict of the court gave no role to the police over the matter, the PSC “in its wisdom, invited relevant stakeholders into a Board for the recruitment exercise to ensure inclusiveness and transparency. This magnanimity has since been misconstrued. It is relevant to state that the judgment and even the Constitution did not give the Police any role in the recruitment of any cadre of Officers into the Police Force.”

He added: “It is unfortunate that the Police has attributed its obvious failure to protect lives and properties, and safeguard our nation from banditry and terrorism to bad recruitment. This claim is self-indicting and provocative. Since 2019 when the Police forcefully snatched the exercise from the Commission, they have gone ahead against the provisions of the law to Superintendent over the 2020 and 2021 exercises. It is the fraudulent Recruits they brought into the system during these exercises that are currently haunting the Nigeria Police Force.”

However, like the gentle breeze after a tempest, tempers seem to have been cooled and the storm appears to be over, as the NPF has since decided to let go of the fight and both parties, have now decided to be on the same page, after a meeting of the IGP team and that of the PSC boss with Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam.

On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, Adejobi was again on song, when he broke the good news that the police had accepted the list citing an agreement between the Kayode Egbetokun, who replaced Arase, who was removed few days after the imbroglio and Argungu. Adejobi’s statement on the truce between the IGP and the PSC boss, both of them lawyers, thus confirmed the statement of the PSC through Ani a day earlier that training for the new recruits would commence on August 10.

The police spokesman, said: “The Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission have finally reached an agreement regarding the final merit list for the recruitment of police constables into the Nigeria Police Force. Following extensive deliberations and collaboration, both the NPF and the PSC have worked diligently to ensure that the recruitment process remains transparent, fair, and merit-based.

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“The Inspector General of Police expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating that the agreement on the final merit list is a testament to the commitment of both the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission to work together in the best interest of the country.”

What is the implication of this? The import could be gleaned from the words of Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, on Thursday, July 12, 2024, when he bemoaned the damage the feud had caused to the nation, during the appearance of Argungu at the Red Chambers for confirmation of his appointment.

Hear him: “In the last two years, we probably would have had an additional 20,000 Nigerians into the Nigerian Police Force, but unfortunately, as a result of personality clashes, the issues went as far as the Supreme Court. Whether withdrawn or not withdrawn, this Police Service Commission we have just cleared today, and the office of the Inspector-General of Police should be cautioned to take the interest of Nigerians into consideration and the security of this nation uppermost and not their interest and work harmoniously toward the realisation of Mr President’s vision that Nigerians should be allowed to sleep with their eyes closed.”

With the latest development, it appears that the words of the Senate President have struck the right chord. In that respect, much accolades must be given to Argungu. Armed with a masters degree in law and an alumnus of the prestigious Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), the former DIG in charge of the Legal Department of the Nigerian Police Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Abuja, who is also equipped with a 32-year-core competency experience in policing,  seems fully prepared. Is this therefore the beginning of a new thing in the PSC?

For as Akpabo, observed, much is dependent on the smooth relationship between the police and the commission in terms of giving Nigerians the environment they need to sleep with two eyes closed? Does Argungu succeeding where his predecessors failed indicate a step towards this path? The nation waits!

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