National Pilot responds to Gov AbdulRazaq’s ultimatum
…newspaper has not erred, says media should not be gagged.
The management of the National Pilot Newspaper has reacted to the 24hour ultimatum given to them by Governor AbdulRazaq óver the report on the alleged acquisition of two bullet-proof vehicles valued at N480m by the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq
which continued to generate reactions from people within and outside
the state.
The story, which was published by the medium in its vol 30, No 38 attracted a strong reaction from the Governor on Friday through his Chief Press Secretary, Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye, who had issued a statement of ultimatum to National Pilot to pull down the report from its platforms within 24 hours and issue a public disclaimer of the story.
The statement further threatened legal action against the news medium
in the event that the demand was not met. However, National Pilot, today reacted to the Governor’s ultimatum, maintaining that the report was not meant to denigrate the Governor’s person.
In the 10 paragraph response, a part explained that the report is an ” allegation and not assertion”, maintaining that it was not ill-conceived or published with bad intent.
National harped that the response of the CPS was sought on behalf of his principal to balance the story, for a balanced reportage.
“We wish to state that as a responsible newspaper, we strictly followed ethics of journalism in the report. In line with the dictates of professionalism, the Governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Ajakaiye was contacted for his reaction on the allegation and he obliged our
report with response, denying that the story was untrue which was published as well as given prominence on the cover of the said publication”.
Explaining further “The report, we vehemently state is an allegation and not assertion. It is neither libelious nor defamatory because we did not accuse the Governor of any act of criminality, fraud or inappropriety in the acquisition of the vehicles,” the newspaper added.
Text of the Newspaper reply to Kwara State Governor AbdulRazaq:
“Kwara Governor’s Ultimatum: Our response.
On Friday, 25th, October, 2019, Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press
Secretary (CPS) to the Kwara State Governor, issued a statement
describing the lead story of Vol 30, No 38 of our publication, titled
“Gov Abdulrazaq allegedly acquires N480m 2 bullet-proof jeeps,” as
“fake news”.
It is unfortunate that the CPS devoted his rebuttal to discrediting our sense of professionalism. Contrary to his claim, our report was never intended to malign the Governor. We wish to state that as a responsible newspaper, we strictly
followed the ethics of journalism in the report. In line with the dictates of professionalism, the Governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Ajakaye was contacted for his reaction on the allegation and he obliged our report with response, dismissing the allegation as untrue, which was published as well as given prominence on the cover of the
said publication. Owing to the fact that the report was not ill-conceived or published with bad intent, production of the report was delayed because the reaction of the Governor’s media handler did not come until midnight, a development which led to our newspaper
getting to the newsstands late (8:45am) and with consequential colossal loss in sales and revenue. The report, we vehemently state is an allegation and not assertion. It is neither libelious nor defamatory because we did not accuse the Governor of any act of criminality, fraud or inappropriety in acquisition of the vehicles. We want to reiterate that the Governor has the right to buy vehicle(s) for private or official use. More so,
bullet proof in view of the state of insecurity in the country. In
any case, his predecessors also purchased cars for use when they got
into office, so also other state governors across the country.
All we reported was an allegation, that he acquired vehicles, which
we believe will be of interest to the public. As a top public officeholder, his actions and activities are subject to public
scrutiny and interest. The motivation for the report was purely hinged
on public interest. Allegations like this will continue to come up and when they do, it is our duty to give the other party opportunity to respond, this we have done in the handling of the story. This has
been underscored by reactions of readers and seasoned journalists who have continued to commend our sense of professionalism in handling this story.
We strongly believe that the report does not warrant any kind of threat to us from the Governor, so is the ultimatum-backed demand for retraction and apology. At National Pilot, we strongly believe that a
newspaper is held in public trust, consequently, we have remained
constantly non partisan and do not pander to sentiments. We have been
going about our job and mandate with high sense of professionalism and
responsibility. In this light, we say boldly that National Pilot has nothing against the Kwara State Government or Governor Abdulrazaq.
For us, Kwara comes first and therefore we put public interest over and above every other sentiment. As watchdogs of the society, we recognise our responsibility to put to task public office holders and also put them on their toes for better governance. We do this
irrespective of whosoever is in power, as such making government accountable to the citizens. This much, we demonstrated even during the era of the immediate past administration. As a newspaper, we are
accountable to our readers and Kwarans in general. So also, we are conscientious in the discharge of our responsibilities at all times being a credible news medium.
In our show of non partisanship, we have on several occasions published stories and photographs about activities of the Gov. Abdulrazaq’s administration.
However, the ultimatum issued to the newspaper by the Governor’s aide
is uncalled for. Mallam Ajakaye as a professional should have rather written a rejoinder stating the other side of the story as against his threat of legal action”.
Meanwhile, Kwarans have continued to register their interests on the case as it is widely believed that the new administration must prove the allegations beyond the surface.