22nd July, 2024.

SIN AND GUILT THAT MOST PERSONS MOSTLY SOCIAL MEDIA PRACTITIONERS COMMIT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

The image in this picture is a daily occurrence in our contemporary society, but the difference is the fact that many incidents are either left unreported or underreported. This one got global attention because of the story behind it and the publicity and award that the individual involved got before the tragic end.

Most publications describes it as “The Vulture and the Little Girl”. It is also known as “The Struggling Girl” even though the victim is a boy that was mistaken for a girl.

A famous photographer called Kelvin Carter took a picture of a frail famine stricken child who was initially believed or mistaken to be a girl who had collapsed on the ground. Behind him was a hooded vulture eyeing him from nearby. The vulture was waiting for the child to breathe his last breath before it will begin to devour the corpse.

Report has it that the hunger stricken and too malnourished child was struggling to get to a United Nations (UN) Food Centre which was half mile away from Ayod, then Sudan but now South Sudan so that he can get food to eat and survive but his strength failed him due to too much hunger and lack of water to drink.

The incident happened in March 1993 when Sudan was experiencing serious famine in the country, but the story was published in The New York Times of 26 March, 1993.

The picture won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography Award in 1994 and also attracted unprecedented publicity.

Kelvin Carter who was basking in the euphoria of his new found fame was the poster boy and guest of many television and radio stations.

But something happened that changed the entire scenario. Kelvin Carter went to a radio station and as the interview session got to the point where callers were allowed to phone-in,  someone called and asked Carter what he actually did beside taking photograph of the dying child that he took?

The caller also asked to know what became the fate of the child?

Carter responded that he left the scene afterward because he was rushing/hurrying to catch a flight so he did not know what happened to the child.

The caller before hanging on the call, said that he actually saw two vultures and one of the vultures was carrying a Camera.

He said that Carter could have saved the life of the child by carrying him to the UN Food Centre but instead of lending a helping hand, he was rather more interested in taking photographs that will make him famous.

The caller told Carter bitter truth that no one told him before then.

Carter left the radio station very sad and he slided into chronic depression and committed Suicide four (4) months later.

Like most things in life that have advantages and disadvantages, the advent of Social Media has brought unimaginable innovations and developments including monetary gains and benefits, but it has also come with attendant challenges.

Many lives could have been saved in accident scenes, during arguments, fights, marital disagreements, business challenges, suicide attempts and others but people who could have saved or remedied the situations were busy taking videos and photographs which is not different from what Kelvin Carter did.

Social Media is like two edged sword which can make or mar. It can save or destroy. But instead of using it to destroy relationships, careers and lives of others, it is advisable to use Social Media to add positive values to society.

Telling a starving and a dying person God bless you is not enough when you actually have the resources to lend a helping hand. Look around your immediate society you can see families that cannot boast of one meal. Look around your immediate neighbourhood there are multitudes of intelligent and highly resourceful young men and women who are roaming the streets idles because they do not have money to pay to learn a skill. Students are dropping out of school daily because of money to pay fees, accommodation, feeding and books. You do not need to narrow your help to only family members. Extend it to others in your neighbourhood and you must not know the person before rendering help.

You don’t need to sleep, molest, harass or take undue advantage of the vulnerable child, young man or woman before helping.

May God touch our hearts and give us the spirit of compassion through Christ our Lord, Amen!

~~~MSC Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli aka Mirror and Conscience of Society

PRESS RELEASE

July 23, 2024

KOU DELTA COMMUNITIES CALL ON BRITANNIA-U NIGERIA LIMITED TO DO THE NEEDFUL OVER THE DRILLING PLATFORM FIRE ACCIDENT


We, the Leadership of Kou Delta communities express our deep grief over the explosion touching a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel operated by the indigenous oil and gas company, Britinna-U Nigeria Limited, at the Ajapa Marginal Oil Field on July 18, 2024.

We believe that whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other. Hence we sincerely extend our sympathy with the management and staff of Britannia-U Nigeria Limited for the huge financial losses incurred by the destroyed vessel and spilled crude oil.

Meanwhile, as Leaders of the Kou Delta communities, We are saddled with the uncompromising responsibility of seeing to the well-being and welfare of our communities and our common environment. It is on this ground that We are calling the attention of the Management of Britannia-U Nigeria Limited to the devastating impacts of the oil spillage on our local economies.

It is very unfortunate that the environmentally hazardous content of the exploded vessel is increasingly flowing through our sources of livelihoods, our rivers  creeks, streams, ponds, and forests, wrecking havoc on our local means of survival and sustainance. Our fishing nets, hooks, lines, cages, etc. have all been rendered useless by this sad accident.

Our communities in Kou Delta, Burutu Local Government of Delta State, affected by this devastating explosion include:

1. Agge Okibou Community
2. Youtu Community
3. Okibou-Zion Community
4. Okofa-Aka Community
5. Okia Community
6. Kare-Epere Community
7. Belle Community

Other Kou Delta communities adversely affected include:

8. Iyanmenegbene
9. Selegbene
10. Atalegbene
11. Amos-Daugbene
12. Iselemoseigbene
13. Owologbene
14. Ogodo-Igbagbene
15. Igbepou

We therefore call upon the Management of Britannia-U Nigeria Limited, the Burutu Local Government Council, the Delta State Government, the DESOPADEC, the NDDC and the Federal Government to start by making provision of relief items and materials to assist our People until our economic water bodies, shores, banks, meadows and forests are resurrected and become healthy for fishing and farming activities to recommence.

And of ultimate importance is the unavoidable commitment of Britannia-U to be swift and humane enough to:

i. Deploy Safety Team to contain the unabating spread of the crude liquid gold into our ocean, rivers, creeks, streams, etc.

ii. Clean up our waterways of the liquid mess so that natural aquatic lives and aquatic vehicles could be revived, restored and resume work.

iii. Provide just and fair compensation to the  communities and families that are adversely affected by this explosion.


We equally want to, again, use this opportunity to call on the oil companies operating in our seas,  rivers, creeks, forests and lands to employ standard environmental health practices in their economic interactions with the resources of our environment, so that ugly, sad and preventable occurrences such as this could be prevented.


Signed:

Chief Patrick Irou,
National Chairman, Kou Delta

Comr. Obed Tomone,
Secretary General, Kou Delta

By Tobouke JEMINE
(March 20,2034)

Nollywood legend, Amaechi Muonagor has called on the public for financial  assistance to carry out a kidney transplant in India.

In a video going viral on various social media platforms, the veteran actor Muonagor was seen laying on a bed, pleading for financial aide from Nigerians.

His colleague in the industry, Kingsley Orji, who was seated next to him, also pleaded with the public to come to the aide of the ailing actor.