I have often referred to Nigeria’s mainstream media as vibrant and varied. Not perfect, but effective. In recent time however, I have begun to worry about some serious structural and systemic problems.

Apart from real financial and political constraints that stymie effectiveness, the Nigerian media seems to lack proper understanding of the full scope of their roles and relevance to society. The term ‘mainstream media’ as used herein does not include misfits, who act exclusively as moral launderers of certain political and social figures. I think they lack the intellectual gravitas required of Journalists, making the distinction necessary. Good journalism is that which holds those in power to account, illuminates and provides relief and escape. Whether out of ignorance, indifference or due to inadequate resources, however, the Nigerian media has consistently defaulted on illuminating some of our most critical problems. A cocktail of societal problems, many of which are rarely robustly investigated and reported, besieges Nigeria. Media outlets routinely provide perfunctory analysis/ reporting of political happenings and offer good entertainment or comic relief. There is more to their job, which this essay seeks to highlight.

Sometime last year, a wildly popular BBC expository documented the impunity of a rather unscrupulous University Lecturer. Nigerians have been long aware of sexual harassment and amoral sexual relationships on University campuses and local media should have investigated this monstrosity long before the BBC got the chance to do it for us. More recently, we have seen documentaries exploring the plight of sex slaves trafficked from Nigeria into Europe. Again, this is not a new trend, but foreign media outlets are on the forefront of the investigation and reporting.  

There is a burgeoning, simmering, yet poorly characterized opioid crisis in Nigeria, which if left unchecked, could devolve into a significant national crisis. I recently read a 2018 report of a national survey on drug use and health, conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics and the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report is not nearly as comprehensive as required, but I have not seen any alternative well-rounded output, conducted and reported exclusively locally, impervious to foreign influence. I once read a detailed story on BuzzFeed, investigated and compiled by a non-Nigerian. I have also seen some good coverage in the Quartz and on Aljazeera. Local Journalists rarely cover these worrisome issues and while local television periodically run stories or bulletins on Nigeria’s potentially fatal drug problem, they are comparatively superficial. Other issues such as the toll of HIV/AIDS, maternal and infant mortality rates, IDP living conditions, amongst others, merit thorough investigative reporting, but are routinely overlooked.  

This is our Country, are we going to allow other people to help narrate our stories and characterize our social problems? We have journalists who can and should report on these crises ambitiously, creatively and with moral urgency. Permitting foreign predominance is problematic in many ways. Less critical is that it plays into the legendary savior tactic deployed by the west that reinforces dependency, but more importantly, there are several factors, twists and nuances that an outsider will not be privy to which means the narrative is bound to be skewed. Failure to intelligently provoke and moderate our most salient social discourses means that over time, coherent discrepancies will emerge. Nigeria suffers from defective leadership, but professionals must now take control of the scoreboard.

The press cannot afford to be pusillanimous and must utilize the detail oriented, tenacious and transparent reporters available. It is important to highlight that ethically dubious people must be excluded from this sensitive process. I realize that poor pay and funding is a key issue, but I encourage all relevant stakeholders to maximize all platforms and exploit alternative but credible funding/sponsorship.