STOP PRESS: Mandela and the Desperation of the Nigerian Opposition Linked Media

 
By Reno Omokri.

As the desperation of opposition linked new and traditional media reaches a crescendo, they have adopted Goebbels' philosophy that a lie told often enough eventually comes to be accepted by the public as true. It is therefore imperative to expose their tactics so that impressionable members of the public are not fooled by the propaganda of failed politicians posing as journalist whose only motive is to secure from the back door what the electorate denied them.

For starters, most Nigerians saw the story carried on Premium Times on Sunday the 8th of December 2013, alleging that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was traveling on a jamboree to South Africa on Monday the 9th of December 2013 which according to them was six days before the funeral of Nelson Mandela was to begin. The headline on Premium Times read 'President Jonathan jets off to South Africa, six days ahead of Mandela’s burial'.

Of course this was a lie. As may be seen from the official programme by the South 
African government (released on line here http://www.mandela.gov.za/funeral/) the funeral arrangement for the late anti-Apartheid icon began on Tuesday the 10th of December 2013. President Jonathan along with approximately 90 other world leaders including President Obama of the US, Prime Minister David Cameron of The UK and President Francoise Hollande, all left their respective nations on the same day, Monday the 9th of December 2013 in order to meet the memorial for Nelson Mandela which held on Tuesday the 10th of December 2013 at the FNB stadium.

The South African authorities coordinated with various governments and actually advised on the date of departure. So, how Premium Times came up with their lying headline, I cannot fathom.

After being caught in a lie, Premium Times, rather than apologize, simply moved on to the next lie and carried another story on Tuesday the 10th of December 2013 to the effect that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was snubbed by South Africa at the memorial for Nelson Mandela at the FNB stadium on Tuesday because the President did not have a speaking slot. 

Though it only shows you the state of minds of anybody who will be willing to politicize the funeral of such a pure man, those discerning enough may want to ask if the British Prime Minister, the French President, the Canadian Prime Minister and 85 other world leaders who did not speak at the memorial were also snubbed? 

In their rush to gain political mileage out of the death of Nelson Mandela, Premium Times, like a child in an ice cream shop were so giddy, they did not remember that Nelson Mandela was a man who preached unconditional love and politics without bitterness, and while the world was celebrating the historic handshake between President Obama and President Raul Castro, Premium Times was celebrating the historic lie that Nigeria was snubbed!

Perhaps they and their political sponsors ought to be educated on the etiquette for funerals. A funeral is not a place to go and shine. It is a place to go and mourn. As such, it is impossible to be snubbed at a funeral because you did not go there for yourself, you went there because of the bereaved! 

For instance, some opposition politicians on social media spend a considerable amount of time insulting and defaming the president, but when they lose loved ones, the president does not mind what they have done and continue to do to him. He writes them and sends delegations to condole with them. The reason the public never finds out about it is because funerals are not for show but for sympathizing.

It is rather unfortunate that Premium Times and other opposition linked sites have shown that they will not let something as vital as the truth stand in their way in their propaganda efforts for their sponsors. 

This particular medium has a history of lying. 

They lied about former president Jerry Rawlings of Ghana indicting Nigeria of corruption prompting the former leader to issue a statement threatening them with a libel suit and denying their claims completely. 

On June 12 2013 Premium Times ran a headline stating ‘World Bank Indicts Jonathan’s Government, says Massive Poverty Unemployment Killing Nigerians’. That headline and story was fictitious and malicious. The World Bank itself whose report Premium Times allegedly relied upon for their story released its own press release with the title ‘Nigeria Economic Update: World Bank Forecasts Rising Growth, Less Inflation, Urges Closer Federal and State Government Cooperation’. Nigerians can read the World Bank Press Release here(http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/05/13/nigeria-economic-update-world-bank-forecasts-rising-growth-less-inflation-urges-closer-federal-and-state-government-cooperation). Premium Times merely took advantage of the assumption that many Nigerians would not bother to cross check their story and so sold a lie to the Nigerian public. 

Also, on the 14th of June, 2013, Premium Times carried a story titled ‘Nigeria: Exclusive – Okonjo-Iweala Opens Up, Says Nigeria Economy in Danger’ and quoted an unnamed source giving details of a meeting of the Economic Management Committee . That story was false as was evidenced when the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, released the transcripts of the meeting at which Premium Times alleged that she made such statement which showed that the story had no basis in truth. 

Ever since Premium Times was established by the media handlers of a candidate whom president Jonathan defeated in the 2011 elections, their reportage has been so full of bile that it behoves on me to remind them that the election was in 2011 and they ought to have gotten over the sting of defeat by now. 

Perhaps they think that they can gain a lot by remaining constant in their line up of false and malicious stories. But the public is becoming wise to them. Anybody can go and check on Alexa.com (the world's premier internet traffic analyzer) and find out that both Premium Times and Saharareporters have slipped in popularity. They are loud quite alright, but are they still popular?

Where they use to be amongst the top 10 sites in Nigeria two years ago, they have slipped with saharareporters,com sliding to number 39 and Premium Times in number 77. 

Imagine that a young Nigerian blogger like Linda Ikeji's blog is in the top ten most visited sites in Nigeria and a site that boasts that they are ground breaking are not even in the top 30. Why the huge drop in visitor traffic? You see, no matter how far and fast falsehood travels, it must eventually be overtaken by truth.

by Reno Omokri 
 Special Assistant to President Jonathan on New Media.

NELSON MANDELA MEMORIAL SERVICE : Live Coverage from FNB Stadium, Soweto

Watch the special live coverage of Nelson Mandela Memorial Service from Soweto as we provide you the links here.

Click  above to watch the Live Coverage

or watch here  The NELSON MANDELA MEMORIAL : Live Coverage from FNB Stadium, Soweto

Follow on google  +Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory  or tweetter via @NelsonMandela   www.twitter.com/NelsonMandela or @nujenews by our team of Nigeria Union of Journalists Europe Chapter
 
Former South African president Nelson Mandela is being remembered at a memorial ceremony at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium.
The memorial service is set to be one of the world's biggest events and is expected to draw millions of mourners from around the globe.
Watch a livestream of the service here:The NELSON MANDELA Memorial Service


By Lashley Oladigbolu 

PRESIDENT JONATHAN TO MEET WITH INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS’ COUNCIL IN LONDON

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who marks his birthday today is in London where he is scheduled to preside over a three-day meeting of Nigeria’s Honourary International Investors’ Council. Issues on the agenda of the meeting include generating long-term affordable finance for Nigeria’s real sector, developing Nigeria’s private equity and venture capital sectors to attract more foreign investments as well as  Nigeria’s information and communications technology master-plan.

The meeting of the council which is coordinated by Baroness Lynda Chalker will also feature a review of Nigeria’s existing investment policies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Paris-based international organization dedicated to the promotion of policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.

Members of the council include the CEO of the Investment Corporation of Dubai, Mr. Mohammed al Shaibani, a former South African Minister of Public Enterprises, Mr. Alec Erwin, the Vice President of Hewlett-Packard’s Enterprise Group in Europe, Middle-East and Africa, Mr. Olivier Suinat, a former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Aziz and the Director of Shell’s International Upstream Business, Mr. Andrew Brown. 

President Jonathan will be accompanied by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, Senator Nenadi Usman, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga, Hon. Isiaka Bawa, the Coordinating of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investments, Dr. Olusegun Aganga and the Governor of the Central Bank, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi.

Others on the President’s entourage include the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki, the Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), Prof. Viola Onwuliri and heads of relevant government agencies.

The accompanying Ministers and heads of agencies will brief the gathering on developments in their areas of responsibility, and also lead discussions on proposals for overcoming identified challenges.

The President is due back in Abuja at the weekend. 

By: Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)

November 19, 2013

Happy Birthday, Mr President, Nigeria Union of Journalists Europe Chapter welcome you and the entourage to London.

Follow NUJE on Twitter for more updates.

Handler: Lashley Oladigbolu

Nov. 18th, Nigeria vs Italy international friendly match tickets sold from £25 !

Have you bought your ticket to watch the international biggest friendly match in Fulham, London on Monday 18th November 2013?  Buy your tickets here ! Click : Nigeria vs Italy


Nigeria is playing Italy in a friendly at Fulham's Craven Cottage stadium in London on 18 November.

The match against four-time World Champions Italy will take place only two days after Nigeria's World Cup play-off second leg against Ethiopia.

A flurry of familiar names are included for four-time World Cup winners Italy, with the likes of team captain and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, AS Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, and playmaker Claudio Marchisio all selected. Not short of quality in depth, the Azzurri will also travel to Craven Cottage – following their international friendly with Germany this Friday – armed with their talisman Andrea Pirlo, who was recently shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d’Or, and former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.

Nigeria have also selected a strong pool of players for their international games, as they look to confirm their qualification for next year’s World Cup with victory over Ethiopia ahead of their trip to South-West London.

Familiar faces to the Premier League John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses and Shola Ameobi each take a place in the squad for the current Africa Cup of Nations Champions, while goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who is enjoying a fruitful period in France with Lille, will leapfrog Nwankwo Kanu into second place in the appearance standings for Nigeria, should he play against both Ethiopia and Italy. The match against Italy will be Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi's first friendly against European opposition since he took charge of the side in November 2011.

Nigeria won the first leg 2-1 on Sunday and are now fancied to complete the job at home in Calabar on 16 November.

The Super Eagles hope the match against Italy will be preparation for next year's tournament in Brazil.

The match, which will kick-off at 1945 BST, will be Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi's first friendly game against European opposition since he took charge of the the side in November 2011.
Jairo Pachon of Eurodata, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)'s official match agent, told BBC Sport: "The aim is to play one of the top five or 10 teams in the world before the end of the year.
"I'm glad we could secure an important friendly and big opponent for Nigeria. Italy are number four in the world and that says a lot.

"It's also an important opportunity for the Nigerian community in the UK to see the African champions in action."

Meanwhile, the NFF also confirmed another friendly for their locally-based team who have qualified for the 2014 CHAN tournament in South Africa.

"We are also happy to confirm a match for our Super Eagles locally-based team against Jordan in Omman on the 28 October," NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire told BBC Sport.
"This match that will serve Jordan to prepare for their World Cup play off match against Uruguay will also help Nigeria to prepare for next year's African Nations Championship."

By Oluwashina Okeleji

 NB: Buy your ticket now online, by phone on 0843 208 1234 or in person from the Fulham Ticket Office. Buy your tickets here ! Click : Nigeria vs Italy