For the benefit of those who appear ignorant about the business of journalism and newspapering, we advise that troubled government officials should face their problems squarely and not pick a quarrel with the newspaper. This advice has been prompted by an advertorial published in at least one national daily, yesterday, by the special press adviser to Yobe State governor Ibrahim Geidam in which he poured invectives on someone else for contributing an article considered unfavourable to Yobe State functionaries.? He even accused LEADERSHIP of being unwary and providing a platform for the “offensive” article.
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Every newspaper (such as LEADERSHIP) is a marketplace of ideas – it provides a platform for everyone (including the friends and enemies of public officeholders) to be heard. In a democracy, our duty includes demanding honesty, transparency and accountability from all office holders in Yobe State and elsewhere. Were he wiser, the special press adviser to Governor Geidam would have used his rejoinder to answer the questions raised in the other article. But rather than provide convincing answers to the allegations, he chose to dwell on name-calling and unsubstantiated claims of achievements.
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We are sorry we cannot oblige a request that we ban all those whose opinions are unfavourable to Yobe State functionaries from contributing articles in this paper. All ideas – pro or contra – are welcome. We have not departed from Our Mission Statement (on page 3).
– Editor
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