*Gen. Martins, Akorede, Zamfara Gov Media Aide, others react
By BUSOLA SAMUEL
“The reason you (The DEFENDER) are quite different from others is that, you align with legitimacy. You are working as a corporate entity recognised recognised by law. You are giving out news that are expected of responsible organisations and entity, which individuals that want to get the fact want to read, not those who want to get the junk news. That is the thing,” he Ohanaeze Ndigbo DG said.
The Director General, Strategic Planning and Implementations, of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide, Amb. Tony Chiemelu Obizoba, has described the public recognition, recently, of Nigeria’s young but fast growing online newspaper, The DEFENDER, by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, as a judgement that is well thought out, correct and ‘very highly objective’.
He gave this insight while reacting to a report titled, ‘Sultan of Sokoto recognises The DEFENDER, as his 15th coronation anniversary symposium holds”, published on Monday 1 November, 2021.
Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar had made his free judgement known without any undercurrent about two online newspapers and recognised The DEFENDER for being on the side of fairness and justice, just like he did to Premium Times, which sister company – the Premium Times Books – republished the book, ‘The Sokoto Caliphate’, authored by United Kingdom-based Dr. Denis Murray Last, and first published in 1967 by Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s director general said the Sultan was right and further broke his silence in why The DEFENDER deserves such recognition by a multifaceted leader, whose status cuts across national, continent and global boundaries.
“You know Nigerian media, some of them don’t believe in saying the truth. They believe in cooking up stories so that they will sell, not knowing that where you tell the part of stories that are verifiable, not allying yourself with a lethargy and you are speaking the truth, it gives you more opportunities and the international community will relate to you. But if they see you reporting all junk news, you can get that traffic by the miscreants that log on junk news, but will not win the trust and confidence of people that matter.
“There are very responsible people, who do not have interest in those junk news. There are corporations, which are hungry for getting reliable news, not the sycophants, who want to hear or read news that say unprintable things about President Muhammadu Buhari to read. There are people, who want to get accurate reporting. That is key and a very strategic point for the development of the country,” he said.
Continuing, Obizoba said, “When the media are not doing the right thing, they misinform the populace and by that, a lot of people go astray because they are not properly guided. They are not fed with reliable information. So, that is the challenge we are having,” the Igbo socio-cultural group leader said.
He said, “The reason you (The DEFENDER) are quite different from others is that, you align with legitimacy. You are working as a corporate entity recognised recognised by law. You are giving out news that are expected of responsible organisations and entity, which individuals that want to get the fact want to read, not those who want to get the junk news. That is the thing,” he said.
Gen. Martins, Akorede, Zamfara Gov Media Aide, others react
Former Commander, Nigerian Army Ordnance Corp, Major General Adekunle Abdullahi Martins (Rtd), has called to congratulate The DEFENDER Newspaper Nigeria over public recognition, early on Monday by Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.
General Martins said, “I congratulate you because, a public recognition of what you do by a personality as big and highly placed nationally, continentally and globally like Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, is not to be underplayed.
“It shows you are doing well professionally and patriotically. I congratulate you, even as I also pray for your economic successes as a doing well medium that has the love of its country and leaders at heart.,” General Martins said.
Also, Director General, Media, Press Communication to the Governor of Zamfara, Malam Idris Yusuf Gusau, in a WhatsApp message described the Sultan’s recognition of the media organisation as brilliant.
“Masha Allah, the medium worth more”.
In an exclamatory reaction, the Chief Imam of Akure, Sheikh AbdulHakeem Yayi Akorede, said, “Definitely!”
Akure based business tycoon and Muslim a leader in Akure Muslim Community, Alhaji Nureni Akorede, send a more encouraging message congratulating the media endeavour.
“Congratulations, this is an attestation of your media’s consistent factual reportage. A word from the person of the Ameerul Mumeen in Nigeria is certainly a guarantee that Allah is with the media outlet.”
Former Chairman Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State, Hon. Jubril Abdulkareem, also sent in his word.
“Congratulations. Allah says, There is no rewards for Goodness than Goodness.”
House of Representatives Aspirant, for Ibarapa Federal Constituency, Hon. Lateef Olawumi, also came to be counted saying, “a recognition by the Sultan of Sokoto is not a small thing to go by. So, if you have got one by him, we must celebrate you for that. It shows that you have been graced to work well for your nation’s peace an unity because Sultan is not a self-based but purely national and global leader of repute.”
