By Jibrin Baba Ndace
For centuries, media moguls and entrepreneurs have staked their claim in the political affairs of their countries, beyond being drivers of conscience of their society as members of the fourth estate of the realm.
From pre-independence Nigeria, the media did not just play important roles in the independence struggle; practitioners and owners have been active participants and played pivotal roles seeking political offices and making a success of it. In the pre-independence era, two prominent Nigerians stood out as media practitioners who were very active politicians – Sir Herbert Macaulay and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, who became Nigeria’s first President at independence on October 1, 1960.
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Following this trajectory in October 2019, Alhaji Mohammed Idris (Malagi), media owner and renowned public relations practitioner, decided to tread the path taken by other media entrepreneurs – by not just taking keen interest in politics and politicians, but seeking political office.
When he started, some considered him a joker. Others took him for a money-miss-road adventurer. Still there were those who felt he was an outsider venturing into a space that was not his own.
All those who held various views about his foray into politics were unanimous that he was going to fade away – he couldn’t go the whole hog. They thought – out of ignorance or limited knowledge of the persona –that like some before him, he just wanted to “show face” and disappear.
But the same thing happened when he ventured into newspaper publishing with the establishment of Blueprint Newspapers. He took the media industry by storm and was taken for granted by some practitioners.
Over 30 months down the line, he remains steady and has proved all the naysayers wrong by not just going the whole-hog, but beating their imaginations with political dexterity.
From when he started and gradually wormed his way into the hearts of his people, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi positively influenced the political landscape of Niger State by preaching politics of non-violence while sustaining an issue-based campaign.
While other political actors and their social media insurgents blackmailed, insulted as well as used divisive tendencies in their messages and actions, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, continuously, consistently and deliberately amplified messages of hope, of unity, and of a greater and more prosperous Niger State.
Within this period, he met various stakeholders across all the geopolitical zones and different political tendencies in the state. He became the rallying point of even known political foes that before Malagi emerged on the political scene hardly saw eye to eye. He visited elder statesmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders. He engaged the young, old, men and women. While building a broad-based network of followers, he was mindful of the value of key stakeholders in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Deploying his resources, time, network and unique style, the media mogul breathed life into the Niger State chapter of the APC). He invested resources in the infrastructure and logistics requirements of the state wing, funding it and donating operational vehicles.
While picking his nomination form, the Kakaaki Nupe re-echoed his central message about why he was in the race thus: “Our path to the development of Niger State is clear and unambiguous. I will work from my first hour in office as the Governor of Niger State to unleash the potentials of our people; men, women, youth, educated and uneducated, farmers and artisans, traders and everyone else living in all parts of the state to be the best they can be under a stable and in a secure environment.
“My vision is to work with the solid foundation and God-given human and material resources we already possess as a state to unlock our capacity in education, agriculture, science, technology and innovation to make Niger a truly frontline state in all its ramifications.”
Even during his engagements with various local governments and federal constituencies, Malagi only preached his hope and desire to see a greater Niger State, of development, of prosperity, of unity. In his travels from Lapai to Agaie to Bida to Kutigi to Borgu to Kontagora and Minna meeting with traditional rulers, community leaders, politicians, he was never carried away by the heat of the moment to say anything that could overheat the polity or stir animosity.
The Kakaaki Nupe ran a good race and when the outcome of the process didn’t turn out as projected despite the obvious shortcomings in the process, he was the first to congratulate the winner and immediately directed an official statement be issued to that effect. Even when his mature and civil disposition after the APC gubernatorial elections was taken for granted and even misconstrued as a sign of weakness by some stakeholders and their political jobbers, he maintained a studied calm.
When the executive council of Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Niger State Chapter paid him a thank-you visit for redeeming his pledge to provide a bus for the secretariat despite the outcome of the primaries, the media owner said: “After the primaries, the support I got from the people of Niger State has motivated and encouraged me to remain in politics. We cannot go back. I will have to remain in politics.
“I have no enemy in or outside politics. I have continued to impress on my supporters to always maintain peace and harmony.’’
Whatever the outcome of the APC gubernatorial primaries, which Malagi was projected to win, it is clear that Malagi may have lost the battle, but certainly won the war – in political chess game. He has won the hearts and minds of millions of Nigerlites and indeed, well-meaning Nigerians who knew that his only mission was an opportunity to build a greater Niger State.
Jibrin Baba Ndace is an Abuja based journalist
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