Media organisations must be wary of their news sources, lest they become pawns in the hands of vested interest for their nefarious activities.
Following the revelations from the Met Police and their UK Border counterpart, it would seem the news media have been used in this case. But by who? Both Governor Ajimobi and his wife know so well where such would have come from and for what motive. Of course 2015!
The point must be made, though, that newshounds must check, double check and crosscheck their information very well before feeding them to the public, and this is what most online media almost always fail to do, which is why many contend they pose a serious danger to society and give our noble profession a bad name.
But my take in this episode, however, is its baptism of fire for the governor’s wife. The office of the First Lady (whether it’s constitutional or not has come to stay) is not only about launching pet projects or inspecting or inagurating projects or holding court among women and children. It is not just about junketing with the governors abroad on official visits to meet so-called investors or to engage in facility tours. As the governors’ wives share the limelight, the perks of office with their husbands, they also knowingly or unknowingly share all that comes with that: criticisms, political attacks and mudslinging. In short, as there are the glorious sides, there are also the depressing aspects.
Our First Ladies must have strong absorbers to withstand the shocks that would surely come in the name of politics, as it has come for Florence Ajimobi.
But thank God the Oyo First Lady was spot on. Reacting to the rumour of her arrest for allegedly laundering 400,000 UK pounds and for engaging in what was dubbed her 52nd trip, she hurried back home, saying, “It is the price I have to pay as the wife of a politician, in particular in Oyo State, where there is record of dirty politics. I do not have any blemish in my wardrobe, and I am never going to have any.
 

“It was also alleged that I had travelled out of this country for 52 times; that sounds very ridiculous to me; it means I don’t even live in Nigeria.”
Mrs. Ajimobi was said to have travelled to London to attend to her 14-year-old daughter who is schooling in the United Kingdom. Incidentally, the girl was initially attending International School in Iyaganku, Ibadan, but some political thugs had reportedly waylaid her and her mum when she was being brought back from school sometimes in the days leading to the 2007 governorship election (which Ajimobi first contested), forcing her parents to take her to the UK.
Back to the arrest hoax, for me, the real lesson for Mrs. Ajimobi in this episode is this: if she hasn’t been careful and cautious in her affairs as the governor’s wife before, now she must be. For like Caesar’s wife, she also must be seen to live above board. Chikena
No comments:
Post a Comment