Eddie Iroh: On Kabiru Turaki’s ill-advised tirade against the media

Turaki launched a tirade against the media, the very institution he needs more than they need him to bring assurance and reassurance to a jittery populace.

As many will testify, I hardly dwell on persons in my occasional interventions on this page. My reason is that there are so many issues of concern to all of us to worry about, for one to dwell on individuals and personalities, even though we know that in nearly all cases it is individuals and their actions that underlie issues. But on this occasion I will make an exception.

First let me give The Honourable Kabiru Turaki his full, mouthful title. He is the Minister of Special Duties and Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue, and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North. Now not only is Turaki’s title fulsome, his responsibility in the resolution of the crisis in our national security is serious, strategic and critical to our survival as a corporate entity. I have no reason to believe that Turaki is not fully aware of this. Indeed I believe he must be aware that he is one of a handful of ministers in the federal cabinet whose performance or lack of it will determine the fate of the Jonathan administration. In this category of strategic ministers are Power, the Economy, and Works, among others. But few would disagree that without security; there would not be a conducive environment for the other desirable ends to be achieved. There has to be a safe and secure Nigeria for national development, for transformation, to take place.

It is in this context that I reacted with horror when I read the cantankerous altercation that Turaki engaged in with newsmen last week. According to both newspaper and online reports, newsmen had, quite within the bounds of their constitutional and professional duties, asked Chairman Turaki if he had made contact with the Boko Haram Kingpin, Shekarau. I believe this question was in the context of rumour that the chief terrorist had been killed or captured. Let us quickly recognise two things. First is that the question is totally legitimate because rumour is dangerous and damaging especially in times of crisis and national emergency. And rumour thrives where there is no reliable information. As my old friend Ken Mackenzie once wrote, sitting on the safety valve does not make for safety. But that is only one half of the story. The other half is that Turaki, considering the sensitivity of his task, does not have indeed has no obligation, to answer the questions from the journalists. At least not in the manner they put it or even the answer they wanted. And there is no contradiction here.

But Turaki’s handling of what should have been a simple response left me wondering whether he truly recognises the crucial link between his work and the mood of the nation in general and the affected areas of the North in particular. Admittedly I see no reason why Turaki should disclose the inner details of his efforts to achieve his objective. That kind of accountability is his responsibility to the president who appointed him. Every fair-minded Nigerian, including the reporters who asked the question should have no problem with Mr. Turaki dodging the question. That is what politicians do all the time, anyway.  And this is more in Turaki’s favour because in his responsibility for Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution he has also to be a diplomat.

But confronted with inquisitive journalists probing him for understandably unanswerable questions that touch on national security, Chairman Turaki proved that he was neither a politician nor a diplomat.  He could unleash an armoury of the good work his committee was doing, their expectation that peace can and will one day be achieved in the affected areas, and draw attention to what the security forces are doing to win the hearts and minds of the citizens of the area, – you know, take the opportunity to reassure the populace while dodging the sensitive question. Turaki did nothing of the sort. Instead he dug into his armoury, brought out an assault rifle – and shot both himself and his committee on the foot! Turaki launched a tirade against the media, the very institution he needs more than they need him to bring assurance and reassurance to a jittery populace.

In a bizarre outburst Turaki challenged the media to show what contribution they have made to fight terrorism, and practically accused the press of siding with the enemy. It also left me wondering what newspaper Turaki has been reading, if any at all. As a member of the Editorial Board of THISDAY, that paper has supported the state of emergency even when some of us found some contradiction between that and the need for dialogue. Similarly his committee has enjoyed unequivocal support. While I do not and would not want to hold brief for any media organisation that may have an axe to grind on the Boko Haram issue, I believe that the media have by and large been on the side of Jonathan and his administration on this issue because nothing unites a nation more than the security of the homeland anywhere in the world.
But what shocked me in this more than any was Turaki’s concept of communicating with the citizen. In his angry confrontation with media men Turaki blurted: