By Karen Goulding
Nothing happens in a vacuum. There must be an underlining objective. This much I learnt over time, hence my concern with the recent barrage from the French news platform Reuters. Nigeria is in their interest for inexplicable reasons.
The focus is the Nigerian Military in the prosecution of the war against terrorism in North East Nigeria. There is no other sector in Nigeria that interests Reuters. And the reason is not far-fetched. The Nigerian Military has recorded tangible gains in North East Nigeria, which has affected the French interest in the destabilization plot against Nigeria.
Some have argued that there is more than meets the eye. Some have also argued that, like other organizations against the interest of Nigeria, the French interest revolves mainly around economic interest. I say this for a reason.
North East Nigeria borders the francophone countries where France rules by proxy. The economic potential of North East Nigeria has continued to interest France. It is primarily responsible for the drive to ensure that the region stays destabilized so it can continue to exploit the enormous economic resources, especially in the Lake Chad basin region.
This recent drive by Reuters is by every stretch of imagination suspect. Reuters released three damming reports against the Nigerian Military in less than two weeks. While it is okay for a news platform to carry out investigative journalism, it is wrong when such reports are half-truths and illogical conclusions.
As mentioned earlier, there is a history. The attack by Reuters against the Nigerian Army dates back to when the Boko Haram crisis was at its peak. It was common knowledge then that whenever the Nigerian Military was making gains, Reuters was in the habit of churning out reports that would destabilize the troops and allow the Boko Haram terrorists to regroup and launch attacks against the Military.
This has been their stock in trade; therefore, the recent triple attack against the Nigerian Military didn’t come as a surprise. Aside from the fact that the reports lacked objectivity, they showed a strong disdain for Nigeria.
The report on forced abortion in North East Nigeria is, at best, a miscarriage in journalism. It was a highly defective enterprise that exposed the shallowness of the promoters of Reuters. It read like a low-budget movie. That is what it is.
The second report was more of a caricature of what news reportage represents. It promoted innuendos rather than facts. It granted a flashy headline but was empty in content. It was a rehash of previous failed reports that failed. It was, at best, a story meant for kindergarten.
The third report on massacred children is not a topic for conversation. It remains one of the most illogical articles from a supposed international news agency. I am at a loss how such a story was sanctioned for release, and Reuters promoted it like an award-winning story. It was a poor plot that was laced with mischief and malice. It reinforces the hatred the promoters of Reuters have against Nigeria.
I am tempted to assume that this drive is not any different from previous failed attempts to dampen the morale of the Nigerian Military in the prosecution of the war against Boko Haram terrorism. The pertinent question is, why now?
Why did Reuters elect to release three reports consecutively against the Nigerian Military? What is it that they know that we do not know? Maybe Reuters is aware that the Boko Haram conflict in North East Nigeria is ending, which might spell doom for the French interest in its economic postulations in Nigeria.
It is time to call Reuters to order on its reportage on Nigeria. This is important to spare Nigerians the fallacies on the operations of the Nigerian Military in North East Nigeria. The promoters of the news platform must retrace its steps and give peace a chance in Nigeria. This is on the heels that its numerous attempts at unsetting the polity have failed to gain traction.
The Boko Haram conundrum is gradually ending, and no amount of negative propaganda can bring it back to life. The efforts of the Nigerian Military in addressing the Boko Haram challenge have been noteworthy and received commendations from near and far.
I would be pleasantly surprised if Nigerians take Reuters seriously. The news medium has lost credibility; it has been identified as acting against the journalism creed. And they reinforced it with this new drive to cause disintegration in the country.
In case they do not know, there is a limit to mischief. There is also a limit to the public dance of shame. Some of us are aware of the interests and strategy. Unfortunately, according to the idiom, “those whom the gods want to destroy they first make mad”. This is the case of Reuters, and it is a pity that they can’t see the handwriting on the wall.
They keep churning fallacies to their unsuspecting readership. There is nothing worse than the Reuters misinformation on Nigeria. Their credibility is on the fringes of extinction. Reuters must leave Nigeria alone. We are a strong and united country. We are not francophone and a former colony. We are Nigeria! They should learn from the Amnesty International example. A word is enough for the wise.
Goulding writes this piece from the United Kingdom.