As Babarinsa seeks strong media
Former Ogun State Governor Chief Olusegun Osoba yesterday lamented the damage caused to print media journalism by what he described as the unbalanced writing of untrained internet reporters.
Osoba, who chaired the presentation of a book: One day and a Story written by Mr. Dare Babarinsa, co-founder of Tell Magazine, said these “internet invaders” as well as declining interest in regular newspapers had put journalism in danger.
Guests at the event, held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Lagos, included former Ekiti State Governor Niyi Adebayo, Erelu of Lagos Chief Abiola Dosunmu and Odua People’s Congress (OPC) founder Dr. Frederick Fasheun.
Others were the former Daily Times Editor Dr. Adinoyi Onukaba, media scholar Prof. Tunji Dare, Prof. Ibidapo Obe, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, House of Representatives members Bola Famurewa and Akeem Gbajabiamila and others.

Osoba, who is a former Daily Times editor, stated that non-professionals were being used to blackmail and malign innocent people through their online platforms.
He said: “Our profession is in danger, because there’s a serious invasion of non-professionals, who know nothing about the ethics of journalism and who are not trained to balance their stories. I’m talking about internet invaders.
“Our profession is being invaded by people, who have no training whatsoever; they don’t even ask for the other side of the story. They have become tools in the hands of people like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), blackmailing people and maligning people’s character,” he said.
Osoba advised trained journalists to take over the internet from charlatans by maintaining an active internet presence.
“We too must invade the internet. I want to appeal to all professionals in this industry, the future of a newspaper as we know it today is fizzling out and it will soon be dead. There will still be newspapers, as I always insist, but it will be distributed free as it is done in London.
“I want to appeal to media houses to counter-invade the internet. Those of us, who are trained and know the ethics of the profession, let us not leave it to untrained internet journalists,” he added.
The book reviewer, Onukaba, said One Day and a Story with 276 pages, 30 photos and 18 index pages, was woven together seamlessly, “like the handiwork of a master craftsman. The prose is deliciously simple.”
He said it richly documented Nigerian and African history, including the lives of leaders such as President Ibrahim Babangida, Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory Coast and Zairean dictator Mobutu SeseSeko.
He added: “Babarinsa writes with affection, respect and admiration for his superiors, colleagues and juniors in the profession. He is generous in his praise and merciful in his criticism. Even where he has cause to point out human foibles, he does so with sympathy.

“Babarinsa is truly well brought up; what the Yoruba people call an Omoluabi. His pen has the fear of God. He treats disagreements with colleagues and bosses without malice. He is humble enough to admit his faults and misjudgments.”
The late Newswatch Editor Dele Giwa, Onukaba said, called Babarinsa “the in-house biographer” at Newswatch magazine, because he wrote “with such feeling that men and women, dead or alive, ancient and contemporary, stand before our readers in flesh and blood, with their strengths, weaknesses, warts and all. Few writers are able to do this. We salute you.”
“One Day and a Story also profiles leaders, who inspired us,” Onukaba added, such as the lives of veteran labour leader Michael Imoudu, Babangida’s Health Minister for eight years Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti.
He said: “There was also the case of Prof. Ishaya Audu, who after serving as vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Shehu Shagari, returned to his small town of Wusasa, Zaria, to heal his people.”
Prof. Dare lauded Babarinsa for being an exceptional student of his while at the University of Lagos. He said the author was dedicated and always willing to learn.
Babarinsa, in his response, stated that only a strong media can protect democracy.
He said: “We need a stronger press now more than ever, now that even those in the judiciary are being called to account.
“A country can’t be great if it has no history, no knowledge; just a large population of ignorant people.”