It’s satanic to close National Light instead of celebrating it@30

By Polycarp Onwubiko, JP

NATIONAL LIGHT NEWSPAPER ANAMBRA STATE, INSTEAD OF CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS OF EXISTENCE IS CLOSED DOWN. THIS IS AN INSPIRATION FROM THE OCCULTISTS KINGDOM, SATANIC, AND UTTERLY CRAZINESS. THE BATTLE LINE HAS BEEN DRAWN

For Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the Governor of Anambra state to take steps to close the 30 years old state owned newspaper to use the expansive premises for his so-called”Recreational Facilities”, amounts to killing upcoming writers, columnists and authors from the educationally conscious Ndi Anambra.

While the Governor of Imo state, Hope Uzodimma voted huge amount of money towards the resurrection of Imo state government owned newspaper, STATESMAN, a a ‘whole’ Professor is closing down the the longest surviving 30 years state government owned newspaper, National Light newspaper Awka Anambra state. If this move is not outright craziness, satanic, occultic and a direct inspiration from the coven of darkness, one would wonder what it is.

It is astonishing that instead of repositioning the National Light newspaper with somebody who knows the ESSENCE of state government owned newspaper, he singlehandedly without even the support of one Hon Commissioner in the EXCO, cleverly sidelined the Anambra state House of Assembly who made the Edict on Anambra newspapers and printing corporation, ANPC and used the malleable and civil service communication channel inexperienced Secretary to the state government and Head of Service to write a letter to the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, ANPC to”wind down the operation of the newspaper because it is not Economically viable and moribund”.

Soludo of course knew that he ought to have forwarded a letter to the House of Assembly and explain his reason for and rational for having the 30 years old state government owned newspaper thrown into the scrap heap of history. He knew that the Hon Members of the Anambra state House of Assembly have the right to examine his supposed reason and should throw it out knowing that National Light has become synonymous with Anambra state, a Testament and a Monument to preserve the history of the state in addition to preserving all the activities of the state government which no newspaper can do.

The ESSENCE of the state government owned newspaper is to capture the socioeconomic activities of all the communities, Ministries, Agencies, and Parastatals in the state which nationwide circulated newspapers cannot do.
Since the National Light inception in 1993, it has churned out great writers, columnists and authors.

This humble writer, Polycarp Onwubiko, JP, Author and public policy analyst was the product of the newspaper. For Soludo to thoughtlessly bring up the idea of killing National Light newspaper, it means that he wants to kill the budding writers, columnists, and authors in Anambra state because it is apposite to asseverate that newspaper and radio station are educational institutions.

Anambra state has, through the enlightened Education policies of Governor CP Ezeife, Dr Senator Chris Ngige, Peter Obi and Dr Willie Obiano has elevated Anambra state to an enviable pedestal in education hence the secondary schools are coveting Laurels in the international Education competitions. Students of Mass communication in the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Anambra state university , Federal polytechnic Ok, etc troop to the National Light newspaper for three to one year industrial attachment and practical experience in the production of newspaper. Sadly, this has not impressed Professor Chukwuma Soludo but he rather wants the National Light newspaper premises for his fancied “Recreational Facilities Centre” and other gibberish he has thought about as rationale for closing an educational institution like newspaper.

That satanic inspiration must be exorcised because all of us own Anambra state, that one is a Governor does not confer on him to do whatever he fancied irrespective of the fact that almost all the Houses of Assembly in the country including the National Assembly are “Rubber Stamps” or brazen-faced lapdogs or tongue-tied marionettes who do the bidden of the Chief Executive of the states and the Federation at the drop of billions of public money at their feet.

Anambra state House of Assembly should rise to the occasion and stand to be counted in this titanic battle to stop Governor Soludo from strangulating the state government owned newspaper, National Light which the Hon House had in 1993 made the Edict that established ANPC. It is trite to advise the House to request Governor Soludo to forward a letter to the Hon House giving his reason to kill the educational institution like the National Light newspaper.

National Light newspaper must not be killed, rather it should be reorganized with sufficient annual budget provisions and headed by somebody who knows what state government owned newspaper is all about because some of the Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers deviated from the ESSENCE of state government owned newspaper hence the rubbish that had been produced which made people not to patronize the newspaper.
In summary, the functions of state government owned newspaper is remarkably different from nationwide circulated newspapers like Vanguard, Guardian, Daily Sun etc.

Polycarp Onwubiko JP, Columnist is public policy analyst and Author of nine (9) on Constitutional Democracy and Public Administration in Nigeria, was a product of the National Light newspaper.