Vice-President Kashim Shettima has implored media professionals to focus on objectivity rather than antagonising the government.

Mr Shettima made the call on Saturday at the public presentation of a book titled, “Persona Non Grata,” authored by Ismail Omipidan, in Abuja.

Drawing the distinction between antagonism and speaking truth to power, he urged journalists to always strive to strike a balance between their allegiance to self and to truth.

He said, “What must be spelt out is that there is a distinction between antagonising a government and speaking truth to power. The latter is driven by a noble principle to serve a greater good and a deserving humanity. The former, on the other hand, is usually a self-serving exercise that fades into futility, and that is not the end we should aspire to achieve with the information and ideas we labour to acquire and process in our line of work.’’

Referencing “The Republic,” a Socratic dialogue written by the Greek Philosopher, Plato, Mr Shettima pointed out that the intellectual class, especially journalists, must be allowed to be the nation’s conscience.

He told the journalists that apart from speaking truth to power, the nation also needed them, as media professionals, to serve as the country’s conscience.

He said, “No political leader, however sincere their intentions, can excel beyond the scale of the knowledge at their disposal and this is particularly telling in our political space. While we need an army of courageous media professionals to speak the truth to power, we also need them to serve as the conscience of the political institutions and individuals who influence the evolution of society, including the questions of our collective survival.’’

Mr Shettima observed that the real courage required serving as the conscience of the nation “lies in resisting compromise in one’s pursuit of truth. True courage is being able to tell the truth even in a congress of critics and bullies. The rush to partake in a smear campaign, even in the face of superior facts, is, of course, not an act of courage. This distinction sets courage apart from cowardice. It takes rare integrity to recognise the difference between the two.”

He urged both leaders and media professionals, as well as other well-meaning citizens to “aspire to learn where and when to draw the line between courage and cowardice.”

The vice-president described the author of the book, Mr Omipidan, as a journalist who “has shown that, in reporting the ups and downs of his nation, true allegiance isn’t to oneself, but to one’s society.

“This awakening has defined his kind – the realisation of what one truly aspires to accomplish in advocating for a nation that functions, a nation that cares, and a nation that’s accountable. You cannot solve a crime objectively by investigating the cause away from the crime scene.”

The vice-president described the book as a declaration of the price of adhering to noble principles amid ‘corrupting temptation.’

He recommended Mr Omipidan’s book to both practising and aspiring journalists, as well as any professional seeking a balance between their allegiance to self and to truth.

Earlier, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and Chief Host of the event, Adegboyega Oyetola, thanked Mr Shettima for taking time out of his demanding schedule to attend the book launch.

He said the book was a compilation of the vast experiences of the author, his work in the private and public sectors.

According to him, the book speaks volumes about the author’s strength of character, resilience and commitment that defines his personal and professional judgement, as well as integrity in journalism.

“The title of the book states his curiosity and rightly so. As I delved into the pages it became apparently clear that he put his mind and soul into his work. It is not just a professional memoir, it is a profound commentary of the complexities of power and unforeseen forces that shape public perception,” Mr Oyetola stated.

The book reviewer, and Editor of Saturday Tribune, Lasisi Olagunju, said that the book chronicled the author’s early life and many experiences.

In his vote of thanks, Mr Omipidan thanked the vice-president for honouring his invitation. 

(NAN)