NICHOLAS IBEKWE DESERVE A NATIONAL AWARD

  Do Nigerians really know what they want? This question might sound very simple and even stupid, but the answer will be very helpful to catapulting our nation into the El-dorado of our dream. A young journalist by the name Nicholas Ibekwe did something we have been clamoring for in our nation and from its citizens from time immemorial, especially those in the professional sector of our nation, whose services are determinant if our nation is to survive the onslaught of this cankerworm that has eaten deep into the very foundation of our nation. The young man honorably turned down a N50, 000 bribe, often called “brown envelope” by the corrupt wing of the Nigerian press.

  The moment a man receives any form of incentive from those who are not his employers and those who are directly involved in the case he intends to inform the general public about, his report ceases to be genuine, unbiased and unadulterated. Unfortunately, as is often the case in our dear country, rather than praise this young man for his conviction and good professional ethics, a lot of Nigerians especially the bamboozled slaves of self-styled “gods of men” have come upon him with all sorts of criticisms for doing something noble by divulging the bribery scandal involving Prophet TB Joshua and some corrupt group of journalists to the tune of N770, 000 on the premise that they reported the catastrophe in which more than 80 people have so far lost their lives, without the needed and the necessary journalism objectivity.

  Rather than recommend that the federal government include the name of this brave young man, Nicholas Ibekwe for a national meritorious award, we are allowing a group of brainwashed Nigerians to insult and threaten a noble man who has emerged from the normal Nigerian box to prove that 170 million people cannot all be tagged as corrupt persons. In fact, apart from the necessary investigation to be carried out to determine the real cause of the collapse of the building and the compulsory indictment of Prophet TB Joshua if found guilty of any wrongdoing, especially in the area of the post-rehabilitation of the building without the necessary legal urban developmental and construction permit of the Lagos State government, a parallel investigation should be carried out to clarify the alleged bribe issue to ascertain that no crime was committed.