Decades ago while I was still in the university, my aunt, Kulu Kyari, had introduced me to some pamphlets tagged Leadership Confidential. They were small green colour pamphlets written and distributed by the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, founder of LEADERSHIP Newspapers. This was before the creation of LEADERSHIP Newspapers. Later on they were thrust in the middle of newspaper pages to gain wider circulation. He wrote on pressing national issues, the economy, politics, democracy… you name it. He was passionate about his country and penned down every thought he felt would help in moving Nigeria forward.
My aunt had read a similar passion in me, for writing and for moving our country forward too. I became an avid reader of Sam Nda-Isaiah’s pamphlets. Leadership Confidential was a weekly publication and she made sure I didn’t miss any. She kept every week’s supply for me and sent them over whenever she got the chance to.
Years later after LEADERSHIP had built a household name as a newspaper, I ran into Uncle Sam. I introduced myself and told him all about how I’d been a fan of his, right from the Leadership Confidential days. He was thrilled. I told him I had become a writer too and I found his write ups quite useful and instrumental to my development.
Him and the likes of Adamu Adamu and Mohammed Haruna were the best writers from the North. I never missed Mallam Adamu Adamu’s columns on Daily Trust since my school days. Sam Nda-Isaiah had taken it a notch further by starting a newspaper house; LEADERSHIP. I told Uncle Sam that it was my dream to become a back page columnist like Mallam Adamu Adamu.
There and then he said, “Send me a couple of your write-ups and I’ll see how we can make that happen.” A few days later, I received a call from him. “Hello, is that my son Talba?” Yes sir, as I scrambled to sit up from a slouched and restive posture. It’s his son sir… I mean… yes it’s me sir. “Haha… funny. May your dad’s soul rest in peace my son”, he replied.
“I’ve gone through your write-ups and they are quite good. When can you start? I’ll send you a number and you can call them and let them know when you’ll start. Good luck!” Before I could load up my thank you and other expressions of gratitude… he was gone. I was so excited! Back Page! Here we come! I lost more than enough sleep, full of excitement, and preparation for such a huge outing.
It’s been six years now since I started writing for LEADERSHIP Newspapers. I have seen first-hand how
LEADERSHIP has blossomed into a reputable and authoritative newspaper. Quite a number of friends and colleagues I have known over the years have been products of the LEADERSHIP family. Stanley Nkwocha who is the vice president’s spokesperson, and the late Danladi Ndayebo, who was the spokesperson to former Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, are some of the members of that LEADERSHIP family.
We weren’t writers at LEADERSHIP at the same time but the LEADERSHIP family kinship has kept us closely related to one another in our different editorial pursuits.
Sensationalism has taken over the newsroom and news publications. Fake news has become the order of the day. Almost every headline is a clickbait, put out there to attract attention and followership for newspapers and newshandles.
The abuse of the media industry is at its peak. Professionalism is far from the profession today and every blog or tabloid is now a media house or a source for public information. The gullible public are easily manipulated by vicious headlines and salacious accounts of events. The polity is easily heated up by the carelessness of media houses and blogs who are just in it for the money and the thrill.
Fact-checking has been binned long ago and media watch dogs seem to be sleeping as all hell is let loose in the media industry. Media houses and bloggers are not held to any form of accountability. Politicians use and misuse the media to incite the public in favour of their political leanings, at the expense of the polity’s peace and sanity.
In the midst and peak of all this, LEADERSHIP Newspapers has emerged as one of the finest media houses, that have kept it plain and simple, professional and altruistic. LEADERSHIP has not joined the bandwagon of peddling fake news to gain traction or following. LEADERSHIP has been apolitical and one couldn’t say, if they are pro-establishment, or anti-establishment. Why? They have reported it as it is, and they have presented the news as factually as humanly possible. Where the establishment gets it right, LEADERSHIP have duly expressed their support, and when the establishment gets it wrong, they have not faltered from registering the due hard knocks.
They have closely associated themselves with the ethics of true and proper journalism, not minding the trend and the practice of other media houses. For LEADERSHIP, It’s been 20 years of steady growth and development, making a mark as one of the most reliable, if not the most reliable newspaper in Nigeria today. I am proud to be associated with LEADERSHIP Newspapers, a legacy of our benefactor, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, who was a paragon of ethical journalism. Congratulations to the LEADERSHIP family at 20! More ink to your professional publishing standards.
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