I was a news editor at Katsina State Television, KTTV; naive, overzealous, new to the journalism profession and highly interested in the job. I was also a stickler to the standard procedure of doing the job strictly by the book.
It so happened that the Katsina State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, decided to call for a trike to press home for a demand for an increase in workers' salary. The State NLC Chairman addressed a press conference and directed all workers in the state to go on total strike the following day.
As the duty editor that day, it was my top story which I gave the first headline. I even went ahead and gave the chairman a track-up for effect, thinking that I had done justice to the story. I was so naive I didn't, for once, consider the consequences of my action.
Professionally, there was nothing wrong with the story. But politically, the owner of the station, Katsina State Goverment, didn't find it funny. It was beyond my imagination the effect that story caused throughout the state.
On the one hand, NLC was very pleased because the strike was total the following day. An so were the workers. But from the government's side, all hell broke loose.
The governor, who was away at Abuja, directed for the immediate sack of whoever was responsible for airing that news item. There was no commissioner of information then but the information ministry was supervised by a Special Adviser, SA.
The SA immediately summoned an emergency meeting of the Board of Management of the station. Before the meeting, they considered sacking the General Manager, GM, of the station. But somehow he was let off the hook and I became the scapegoat.
I didn't rest on my oars, either. Now, the Board Chairman happened to be my classmate's father and I immediately rushed to his house at night. There was no GSM at the time and the Board Chairman lived in another town. But, luckily, my friend had a landline in his house. He called his father and explained the situation. I also spoke and explained what happened. Not satisfied, I called my late cousin, Alh. Aminu Mu'azu, who went and told my father. Now, my father was also a friend and political associate of the Board Chairman. So, he went to his house and they talked...The state governor was also my uncle's classmate at Katsina Middle School, so my uncle got in touch with him and they talked...
The day the Board met they came to the conclusion that the Director News, who was more experienced than I, the news editor, was at fault. That he shouldn't have allowed the news to go on air. He was immediately transferred to the administration department.
That was how I was saved...all is well that ends well.
That is how state governments and owners of media organisations interfere with the media. I would have been unjustly sacked just because government's interest was not served.
But as was destined, I went on to become the News Manager and eventually the General Manager of the station.
That's the way the cookie crumbles...