It is becoming very clear that the Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, is surrounded by persons with little or no understanding of Public Relations. These ‘journalism professionals’ have also proved incapable of using previous newsroom experience to assist a principal rolling from one avoidable crisis to another as if cursed to be opposed to anything and anyone around him forever.
No other person exhibited this naivety more than the Hon. Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Samuel, in a recent statement, which was also used generously as paid advertisement in selected media houses. He even followed it up with a press conference on Thursday celebrating what his team naively believe amounted to a bursting of the story did by National Life on Daniel last Saturday.
As usual with these famed apostles of bare faced lies, a derisive reference was made to a certain former Chief Press Secretary to the Governor accusing him of super-imposing Daniel’s head on the body of an actress, as if one was in the employment of National Life. The same statement, I understand, has been turned into a leaflet which is being circulated all over the place with radio and television jingles supplementing it. What an ingenious way to waste scarce resources of the state!
Before delving into the theatre of the absurd being played out by Daniel’s men, who currently pretend to be managing his image, it is important to give these failed professionals a brief lesson in journalism. Without standing in for National Life, it is important to place the stories done by Nigerian Compass and National Life beside each other. Nigerian Compass, owned by the Ogun State Governor, published two photographs claiming both belonged to Hon. Wale Alausa showing where he had gone to take an oath.
In an analysis, I did on the morning the photographs were published, one was able to show that there was manipulation in one of the photographs. Even after Alausa had admitted he indeed took an oath to the Governor naked, it was clearly established that only one of the two photographs published by Nigerian Compass was genuine. The second one was manipulated. Unfortunately, till date, the newspaper is yet to come clean concerning this fact. Yet, a i tete mu ole, o fe mu oloko!!!
In the case of National Life, the newspaper published a story along with interviews from prominent figures who gave a graphic account of how OGD does his oath-taking with a statement from Samuel debunking the allegation. Till date, none of the people interviewed by National Life has denied granting the interview. But on its cover, there was a photograph used to illustrate the story. It was not the story. It was only an illustration, to my understanding as a journalist. And I am very sure Nigerian Compass has used similar illustrations to buttress their stories in the past.
An example was when a national newspaper published former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar wearing gloves. The newspaper only used that to illustrate the story of the political fight between both men. Not that they wore gloves to fight. Unfortunately, the Emperor’s goons would have us believe that illustration of newspaper or magazine stories with such photographs are not permitted. As long as you do not claim the photo is real as Nigerian Compass did with the second manipulated photograph of Alausa, you are free.
And recently, a journalist posted a twisted computer animated picture of Obasanjo on Facebook, showing the Ota Chicken Farmer as a bad man with a gun ready to do battle with whoever cares. Does that make OBJ real in the fun intended there? Daniel and the amateurs around him are scared of what others have on him. They naively believe they are the only custodians of dirty ‘facts’. Others have dirtier things, but are waiting for the right clime to make it public. The Emperor will dance naked for sure.
And back to the issue of Public Relations. Since the current round of crisis began with the failed bid to assassinate this writer on January 10, 2009, about the only competence displayed by Daniel’s media team is an expertise in the Nigerian form of Media Relations – distribution of gbalamu. Not once have they shown brilliance in strategically addressing issues or working to ensure that the publics of their principal give him a benefit of the doubt on the sundry allegations against the governor.
Bare faced lies, deliberate manipulations and often a desperate attempt to physically attack perceived opponents of Daniel remain the stock in trade of both full time employees and the emergency consultants milking the treasury of Ogun State dry in a morbid attempt to defend a drowning Emperor.
The first lesson a student of public relations will most likely learn is the importance of ensuring goodwill and mutual understanding between his/her principal and the principal’s publics. This is more than important concerning political public relations, given the usual cynicism that the average person often has about government. But events of the past few weeks in Ogun State reveal a crass ignorance of the workings of public relations.
You do not lie deliberately and take the people for granted. You would have lost all credibility. Your goodwill and whatever understanding between you and your publics would have gone through the window too. How can Samuel issue a statement denying oath-taking by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Ogun State? How can some of them claim Council chairmen were not coerced into taking fetish oath to pledge allegiance to the Governor shortly before their elections? What were herbalists of different shades doing in Otunba Asodidero (sorry, Asoludero) Court in Shagamu?
In Ososa, for instance, are you saying all the residents of that town are blind or without a sound mind? How do you expect them to react to your statement when they saw bus loads of people entering the town to take the oath as recently as two months ago? How will the furore in Ijebu Ode be treated when they learnt that their people were being given a paltry N20,000 after taking the oath? What about the friends and relations of the Council Chairmen and local government party chairmen who were forced through the same indignities before the last Congress? What about the naked oath-taking and pepper soup of the coffin in Shagamu?
In the months leading to the 2007 general elections, I was involved in organising key figures among street personalities to swear to an oath of allegiance for Daniel at a shrine in Shagamu. Hon. Gbenga Oduwaiye, who regularly led persons of doubtful loyalty to the shrine led the last batch of 33 men from Egbaland to the place. None of them is dead yet. They have friends and relations. It was fundamental in Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s loss of support among the boys on the streets.
In fact, a few months after the election, there was hardly anyone on the streets of Abeokuta who did not know the guys were angry because they were not being taken care of as promised by Daniel. Almost everyone in the state capital heard their complaints which were spiced up with gory tales about taking the oath while naked.
Why did Iyeru broke ranks? Why were Bona and Sir K complaining? Were they taken care of as promised? Mrs Titi Oseni would have been beaten up in her office right in the presence of her colleagues were it not for my intervention. And that was barely two months into her tenure as Speaker.
The boys believed as the highest ranking Egba figure in government, she should have spoken to the governor to ensure the pre-election promise of regular largesse was kept. Your Emperor should thank the current Commissioner for Special Duties, because I was able to organise a job in Sango Otta for the angry guys through his office. Till date, I did not even tell the Emperor. But the guys were happy, at least for a while, after that. They are still there with you. And when you now lie bare facedly about what you put them through, how do you want them to take subsequent statements from you.
But if it is the fear of the release of damaging materials on the Emperor you are scared of and have used the statement to rubbish it before it is made public, do not worry yourself. When it comes, there is nobody who will not know it is genuine. We should wait for a robust debate at that time. But for now all the lies about a former CPS meeting with Senator Bola Tinubu should be stopped. Tinubu’s people will just be laughing at you. Poor intelligence gathering means poor reaction. Since you do not have the required information, the other side can now see through you that you guys have no power.
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