• Garden-City Boy

  Oct 30 2012, 14:21

  Report Abuse

  The Nigerian press is part of our ethics woes; sometimes it contributes to compounding them. Investigative journalism stunted due to this morbid fear for sacred cows we create. Evasive reporting gave strength to these sacred animals and the grounds for their myth to endure and haunt us like ghosts. The Vanguard newspaper has just committed this very same act. The Halliburton saga is no brand new bag. Ex-heads of state were not only fingered; they were named in the koro-koro. At the time, the Nigerian press made fanfare of scoops from plea bargain settlements from far away U.S. and Europe that involved powerful officials. It was so bad that a bewildered U.S. President expressed personal disgust at the shielding of local Halliburton bribe-takers by the Nigerian leadership. The American President skipped Nigeria in his Africa itinerary in a show of disappointment. Manywondered why he could visit Ghana next door and grumbled that Nigeria was snobbed . Here at home, we chicken out; our sacred animals will bare their fangs and claws at us -fangs we graciously let them grow- and we dare not incur their thunderous wrath. Halliburton happened after Buhari, but before Yar'Adua. In between, we had 5 heads of state or presidents or whatever fancy names they chose for themselves. There was Babangida, Shonekan, Abacha, Abdulsalam Abubakar and Obasanjo. Should the Vanguard find it difficult to tell us 2 guys out of 5 that did the thievery, here is some help. Abacha eliminated himself with his choice to quit the scene. Shonekan was allowed no chance to settle down to chop anything from that deal. That leaves us with just 3. Does that help the Vanguard to "unwithhold" the names of the 2 ex-heads of state, or 2 presidents? This VANGUARD reporter needs to bury his head in shame for his "name withheld" parenthesis for a celebrated scandal that got global attention and boggled the minds of millions worldwide. He needs to be seriously coached by his supervisor. The government people shelved away the scandalous mess; a nation watched agonizingly as it receded into oblivion. It is disservice to the citizenry for the Vanguard reporter to renege on his ethical obligation howbeit transient. If left unaddressed, the Vanguard risks exposure to stereotypical classification in the league of degenerate, backstreet press like Leadership, notorious for injecting parochialism and toxic spins into every issue. The company's management must save the newspaper from that plague. The Vanguard must retake its position of excellence and leadership in the fulfillment of its ethical obligations to society. The spade must be called a spade for the war against corruption to achieve the desired goal of societal moral re-engineering. Should the Vanguard lack this courage, it is then time to drop the name, play chicken like the rest and assume a more fitting name: the "REARGUARD".

• pedusc

  Oct 30 2012, 19:20

  Report Abuse

  It is appalling and an affront on the vast majority of Nigerians at home and abroad that this so called Vanguard newspaper would not make public the names of those heads of state implicated in this bribery of monumental proportions. Where are we heading to as a nation or in our fight against entrenched corruption if the media continues to renege on the ethos of journalistic integrity and professionalism, no matter whose ox is gored? President GEJ cannot fight and win the war on corruption alone if the media, having known the truth, decides that evasiveness would serve the public better. What are we hiding and who are we protecting? Did these criminals ever think of the welfare of ordinary Nigerians whose collective wealth they have remorselessly squandered over the years in disgust? I am convinced that Nigerians would demand that not only should these traitors to our economic security be exposed, they should also pay the price if convicted in the court of law.

• chvicminstries

  Oct 31 2012, 11:08

  Report Abuse

  It is indeed unfortunate where some people feel they are above the law and where someone somewhere try to speak the truth, he/she is labelled a bad belly.

  Itis really unfortunate that we live in a country where some criminars beleived they owned the country and can do whatever they wants. These criminars should be exposed for who they really are and be made to pay for their sins. They are inhuman and they should be treated as animals in the maximum PRISON.How long are we going to continue to cover these people at our detriment?

See All Comments