Living in a country like the United States, I know that I personally have grown accustomed to a certain level of freedom of speech extended to those who cover the media that we are presented with daily. I am aware that various countries do this quite differently, thus changing the way and the information itself that their citizens are made privy to. I have chosen to explore news stories from various mass media sources in Nigeria. Over the years I have enjoyed learning about the country as a whole, so I figured I would use this assignment as an opportunity to gain even more information on a different aspect of the country in terms of its media coverage.
The hard-hitting news story was published by the Guardian and was found under their subsection specifically for African news stories. The first thing that I noticed about this news story was the fact that it seemed to be never ending. It was rather lengthy but was very thorough on the information that it provided. There are protests currently taking place of the police brutality that the Nigerian people have been experiencing at the hands of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). There was a video released a few weeks back of a man being dragged from a hotel in Lagos and then shot in the street by SARS officers. This was the final straw for the Nigerian people, so they have spent the last two weeks protesting all over the nation to show their disapproval for violence at the hands of those who were hired to serve and protect. During the peaceful and strategic protests taken place in large transportation sectors such as the airport, trouble entered the equation.
The peaceful protests there have been attacked by malicious groups of men wreaking havoc on local police stations and people. Many of the protestors are accusing the men of being hired by powerful interests in Nigeria, in order to take away from the peaceful demonstrations taking place. Due to violent acts the Governor of Lagos called for the anti-riot and security forces in an attempt to subdue the situation, but based on the headline of the article, "Nigeria protest: security forces open fire on protesters in Lagos" that didn't exactly happen. The spokesman for the police is quoted as saying, "Criminals and miscreants are now hiding under the umbrella of these protests to unleash mayhem on our state." Later that day the governor issued a 24-hour curfew as a means to subdue the situation, but it only led to most protesters being outraged and refusing to return to their homes. The forces set in place to bring about peace, instead started to shoot into the crowd of protesters causing various casualties. This news story is constantly developing, as the people of Nigeria are not backing down against the oppression they have endured.
In other news in downtown Nigeria the Danfo bus drivers are being hassled by thugs and even police while simply trying to make a living. The author Ope Adetayo for the Aljezeera.com, was able to get more insight from various bus drivers and motorists who have experienced the hassling first hand. These men provide unofficial transportation for Nigerians in need of transportation from the inner cities of Nigeria into more suburban areas. These drivers do not own the buses that they drive, resulting in leasing contracts and the hassling that they endure on a daily basis.
A booking fee is expected of the drivers before they are able to start picking up passengers for the day. The next fee is the loading fee, which they pay after each trip and it is expected to be the sum of the fare for two passengers. The third of these fees is the considered "tickets" which just means additional charges that are paid throughout the day, which can differ between drivers depending on the number of parks they service. They are also the rental fee for their vehicle itself that they use to transport their patrons.
These men say they're collecting these fees on behalf of the drivers' union formerly known as the National Union of Road Transportation Workers (NURTW). The union claims, "it serves the interests of transport workers in the road transport sector", although the drivers would beg to differ. I noticed how the author made a point to ensure that readers understood that not all drivers unions operated like the NURTW. Apparently the NURTW lacks proper structure and their members come from a variety of work backgrounds. One driver spoke about his experience as a driver with a degree barely making ends meet, and having to pay fees to the union for every trip that he makes. Professor Gbadebo Odewumi, the dean of the college of transportation at Lagos State University, after being more insightful to the lack of policy and order in the informal transportation circuits of Lagos he summed it up by saying, "You are at their mercy".
I noticed that the majority of the men that Adetayo interviewed were unwilling to disclose their true identities especially when speaking on speculations and even some truths about the NURTW and their underhand dealings with various politicians. Nigeria as a whole is aware of the extortion and chaos in the transportation sector in busy cities like Lagos, but they have yet to create policy to make positive change. In Oyo, a south western state of Nigeria however they have banned the NURTW, in an attempt to solve the problems within Nigeria's government.
WORKS CITED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGSSgqKzms&feature=emb_logo
Comments
Post a Comment