By Bisi Lawrence
It is now more than three days – at the time of writing – since three Nigerian journalists were kidnapped in Abia State on their  way from a meeting in Uyo. Adolphus Okoronkwo, Silva Okeke and Wahab Oba, the Chairman of the Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, suddenly found themselves making headlines, in stead of casting them. It would be rather droll in its own way, if it were not so serious.

To be captured, outside the issue of a conflict, and detained forcibly and heartlessly away from your loved ones; to be deprived of  your freedom without guilt or as a reprisal for any offence or action; for your liberty and even your life to be reduced to the status of an article held out for bargaining in cash, is to be rendered lifeless, no matter for how long or short .

It is a serious matter. No one can feel safe and sound in such a circumstance. I once spent less than fifteen minutes in such a situation but, fortunately, someone identified me as a journalist and the whole matter was turned into a joke. It still wasn’t funny. I perspired enough to fill a bucket … and still continued to perspire even after it was all over. My niece, who heard about the incident hours later, almost turned to water too. Why would anyone want to do that to her uncle? What if  he were not a journalist.”  She was tossed between fear and fury.

But now she must have heard the news. Being a journalist did not save Oba, or Okoronkwo, or Silva from the danger or, at least, the indignity, of  being kidnapped. It may no longer save anybody else in then profession. Well, oil executives and their  mothers, politicians and  their wives, other citizens and their kith and kin are being abducted fairly frequently, so why not journalists?

Well, I’ll tell you why not. Journalists are the voice of  the under-trodden. They are the defender of the lost cause, always speaking out for the underdog, even at their own peril. They are also known to be very assertive and proficient at molding popular opinion.

They have been known to set governments up, and pull great powers down. No one ever  messed up with journalists with impunity. That had not changed for years. But now, even the entire climate of a region can change.

Now we seem to be left almost helpless with little more than tears for wives and relatives of our abducted colleagues, statements of  solidarity from civil societies, outrageous demands for ransom, and hopes that rest on limp promises. Not even the Police can change that fact.

And it cannot but be mentioned now that there would appear to be an unsavoury  police connection somewhere here. Police colours  are  said to have been  spotted on one of the kidnappers’ guns by one of the journalists who were lucky to escape.

That would fit with the theory that hardly any normal kidnapper in his right mind would tangle with pressmen. It would also make a lot of sense that the police command in that area should be dismantled and replaced with a brand new one based on -professional standards.

While one appreciates the support of all and sundry, special mention must be made of  RATTAWU’s decision to call a strike in support of  the release of the abducted pressmen .If the situation does  not improve, more  actions of  that nature would  b e urgently demanded of  the NUJ and other media bodies. I believe that we would get our colleagues back. But in the meantime, they had better remain safe and sound.
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The courtesy visit that was planned by some eminent Edo State citizens with President Goodluck Jonathan, came like a balm to a festering sore in these interesting times.

The seasonal political atmosphere is under a climate change that is fuelled  mostly by carpet-crossing or party re-definition. Somehow, the dry thunder of the Mega Party” has subsided without any appreciable precipitation, and the burst that may set off  a new creation on its way may be more of an implosion than an explosion. In more definite terms, the outcry against zoning on the one hand, and the persistent demand for internal democracy on the other, may eventually break the structure of our political fabric inward as well as outward.

And so we find that alliances are splitting at the seams across loyalties that have become compromised by interests rendered all but incongruous by their divergent appeals. Out of the miasma of this political muddle must have crystallize a need for this meeting which has been described as a “courtesy visit”. The timing is definitely not of any seasonal character, but the delegation is even more difficult to categorize. At the head is Governor Adams Oshiomhole, of   Edo State who has emerged as a strong voice and prominent actor on the national stage.

Among the delegates is the former Chairman of  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of   Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih. That naturally evokes a sharp intake breath. Doesn’t it? The sun has hardly set on how the former Senator favoured us all with a graphic presentation of  how Oshiomhole’s party, the Action Congress, was going to systematically rig the next elections in Edo State.

On the delegation are also the former Chief of General Staff, Admiral Mike Akhigbe, and the  Chairman of Arik Air, Chief  Johnson  Arumene. But then we also have the first civilian governor of Edo State, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, and the immediate past governor of the State, Lucky Igbinedion. And there  again, we have some unaccountable mixture of political plumage. But where was Sam Ogbemudia?

The surprise of  how  the party  was constituted  must give way to the hope for the growing ‘maturity which it presages for our political scene. It shows that politics need not be carried to personal extent, that is of course, if one is reading the weather very well. But at least for the nonce, it should fill a few faces with smiles for a few moments. Then, seconds out? That would be a shame, even if what they call it is politics.

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Echoes: ‘’Nigeria cannot be a football nation until it becomes a sporting nation. To neglect other sports and focus on soccer is to our detriment. Nothing good can come of  Nigerian football until other sports enjoy equal funding and attention.” (Yinka Alakija)

Africa In The World
July 22 … Albert Lithuli, Nobel Peace Prize Winner; Leader of the ANC, South Africa. Was born.
July 23 …. Lateef Jakande, Journalist from Nigeria, was born.
Time out.