There is no crime in being a card carrying member of a political party says Publisher
Kera Dahiru Hassan, Publisher of Daylighter reporters shares with Senior political correspondent Chima Azubuike, various harassments by the Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, over his story on the borrowing spree of the current administration.
How did you get to know Governor Muhammadu Yahaya? I actually know him right from his days as he Commissioner of Finance during the erstwhile administration of Sen. Muhammed Danjuma Goje. I was sometimes working as Radio Operator at the Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC) area office, Gombe and coincidentally, he was living in one of the buildings close to our office, we usually pray together at a nearby mosque. Though, I didn’t have a personal relationship with him (Governor Yahaya) at the time, but being one of the cabinet members of state executive Council, I know him pretty well. But his younger brother, Alhassan Yahaya is my good friend and late Alh. Yusuf Yahaya (may his soul rest in peace) was also someone I was close to in their family.
How did your relationship go sour?
As I said earlier, we first started discussing politics with him during the 2015 elections even though we never met physically then. Let tell that, till today, we met only twice, the first was when we were travelling to Abuja from Bauchi with the then Governor of Bauchi state, Barrister M. A Abubakar who I was working with as his media consultant, the flight which was routing Gombe-Bauchi-Abuja, had on board Inuwa Yahaya, we had a little discussions at the our arrival in Abuja. I also met him at one of his office in Abuja when we visited with someone close to him. So, my relationship with him is somehow partly though we spoke on little occasions on phone.
What is the genesis of your problem with the governor? I was in Gombe sometimes in April 2022, to precise I missed a call from an unknown caller, on returning the call, I was told that there was a complaint written against me to the Commissioner of Police and I need to come over to the Gombe state police headquarters. I actually left the State on Sunday and told the caller that I was Yola and will surely make myself available either Friday or Monday but when I discreetly discovered that it was a ploy to have me detained and later remanded, I had to run for my safety. Since then, my lines have constantly tracked to an extent I had to shut down all my phones.
In a viral story, you were alleged to have been declared persona non grata by the Governor of Gombe State, what’s your crime?While, on how the touch of relationship goes sour, I just don’t what went wrong but so many people around him have been telling that he isn’t happy him but the recent development tells it more.
It obvious that the government like any other don’t want either criticism or stories that seem to be negative or exposing lapses and any administrative cavity. To some, it an essential part of democracy and it gives them idea to retrace their steps and later right their perceived wrong doings. The feelings and moods of the citizens determine the actions and inactions of the government, you can’t always be right and insist on imposing policies that at the end would go down well with the masses. Even so, some criticism could be rational and sometimes irrational, government still needs to be more strategic in navigating out.
How do you feel that you couldn’t visit your brother while on admission, as well as attend his funeral after his demise following the governor’s alleged threat?
It’s sad and heart-sticking not to visit my sick brother who felt sick and admitted at the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe while I have been hiding till he breaths his last. It became twin tragedy for me that I could not attend his burial not even condolence.
How broke will Gombe state be in the future?The state being broke or not, it’s a subject of investigation not an off hand opinion. Facts and figures from the debt management Office (DMO), domestic banks and local debt determined the economic prosperity of the state
How has it been running an online medium coupled with perceived harassments?
My only crime is that I published a story on the debt profile of the state. The fact that other platforms did similar stories on the same subject, a group has also issued statement warning the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had equally reprimanded the state government on the same raising debt but I was the only one invited, depicts that I’m the only target. Ordinarily, if the government aren’t comfortable with the report, a simple response with facts could have been enough.
What is the percentage of harassment faced by journalists in Gombe State?
Well, this was the same administration that prevented journalists at a time from entering Gombe Government House, instead of the other way round where journalists abort government functions, kind of blackout but the reverse is the case. There a many instances where social media influencers were detained.
Some have opted for if you can’t beat them join them by thriving in PR journalism, what is the way out of the quagmire? There are two part to it; PR is just promotion and Journalism is just the way it is, reporting the activities of the government the way that it is. Mind you, people need to know what government is all about, the policies of the government. So, there are two things if you opt for a PR man fine you get paid by that there are so many PR organisations and they are making the money. There are those doing journalism who are harrassed, it depends on the part you choose to belong to. As a journalist I owe the public a duty to tell them as it as it.
The government claims you are a card carrying member of Peoples Democratic Party using your medium to propagate the wills of opposition?
There is no any aberrant to the constitutional provisions for a journalist to belong to a particular political party. You and I were taught the history of journalism in Nigeria and it has clearly demonstrated that most of the prominent politicians and leaders especially those who struggle for the Country’s independence, were all journalists. From Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro, Ernest Ikoli to Lateef Jakande, Segun Osoba, Nduka Obaighbena, the list is endless.
Today, the Chairman of Blueprint Newspaper is one of the Gubernatorial aspirants in Niger State. In fact, if someone is talking about this as an issue, he must be ignorant of the politics in Nigeria. The history of journalism in Nigeria is coterminously to the history of the Country itself. I commit no crime so long as I work in accordance with the established cannons of the job. So, it is not a crime to belong to a political party late publisher of Leadership Newspaper was APC member. When they accuse Dankwambo whom I served in his cabinet I published the story. I’m not working for anyone but I’m working for the society. I have done alot of stories not favourable to the PDP.
Why is the governor uncomfortable with your decision to contest state assembly seat under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party? I don’t know it is his personal decision, I heard that the whole witch hunting is because of my aspiration. I heard I was supposed to be picked whilst doing screening but I chose to do mine in Abuja. I wonder why someone will pick offense, it is sad and pathetic that a democratically elected governor will want to stop someone from contesting.
Recently the level of violence was heightened across political parties in Gombe, are you not worried about the fate of 2023 elections? I’m very worried, and I have every reason to be worried. Recently, I did a story where kalare (youth militia), went to kill a soldier who came to see his family, three suspects were paraded. We know this issue where Goje, was visiting the state and it was said that some persons lost their lives. In an event where people are just attacked, I’m very worried, there was also this incidence where PDP office was attacked and burnt as well as the attack at Funakaye attack on the PDP and the banter that APC office too was also attacked. So, if the whole thing is not tamed by the security agencies when we approach 2023 general election the same thing may happen and the journalists may not be spared.
How safe is it practicing in Gombe, Nigeria as the election hots up? It is not safe, the safety of journalists is seriously in danger the previous elections many journalists were attacked, harrassed and even killed. We thank God the Nigeria Union of Journalists have been working assiduously to ensure the the safety of journalists, as well as other security agencies.
