The Nigerian contingent for the 2024 Hajj began the spiritual journey to the holy land on Wednesday, May 15 with the inaugural flight that had over 400 pilgrims from Kebbi State.
It was a colourful inauguration that was flagged-off by Nigeria’s number two citizen, the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima and other top dignitaries, including the Amir (leader of the Nigerian Muslims), Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Saad III.
Everywhere in the world, especially Muslim majority countries, the inaugural flight is a big deal for the government, community and media, because it marks the commencement of hajj operations.
Hence, it’s a newsworthy event that is expected to grace the cover (front page) of top dailies, irrespective of interest.
Muslim News reviews how Wednesday’s inaugural flight was reported on Thursday, May 16, in top 10 Nigerian newspapers with special focus on the cover story and the cover picture.
Top 10 Newspapers
1. The Punch – No cover story, no cover picture
2. The Guardian – No cover picture | A cover story, with headline, “Hajj 2024: FG subsidises Nigerian pilgrims with N90bn”
3. This Day – No cover story, no cover picture
4. The Nation – No cover story, no cover picture
5. Daily Trust – No cover picture | A cover story, with headline “Hajj: Pilgrims cautioned against travelling with contraband as Nigeria begins airlift”
6. Vanguard – No cover story, no cover picture
7. Nigerian Tribune – No cover picture | A cover story, with headline, “Tinubu’s govt subsidised cost of 2024 Hajj with N90bn – Shettima”
8. The Sun – No cover picture | A cover story, with headline, “FG subsidises 2024 hajj with N90bn – Shettima”
9. Leadership – Has cover picture and cover story , with headline, “Hajj 2024: 423 pilgrims leave for Saudi Arabia”
10. Daily Independent – No cover story, no cover picture
Analyses
1. Only one of the 10 newspapers used cover picture of the inaugural flight. And that’s Leadership Newspaper
2. Five out of the 10 newspapers didn’t also feature or dignify the story on the cover. They are The Punch, The Nation, This Day, Vanguard and Daily Independent.
3. Three newspapers (The Guardian, Nigerian Tribune and The Sun) used the same headline on FG’s N90bn Hajj subsidy, ostensibly to ignite yet another needless debate and put the government on the spot after the initial controversies the topic had generated on social media since the beginning of the year. It should meanwhile be noted that despite the subsidy, pilgrims still paid between N6m to N8m for hajj.
4. Daily Trust’s headline didn’t go the way of the trio, as it established the beginning of airlift for Nigerian pilgrims and reported the caution against travelling to the holy land with contraband, which attracts jail term or execution.
5. Only Leadership Newspaper used picture from the inaugural flight with headline on the cover.
Special mention:
Muslim News Nigeria also has a cover story and cover picture of the inaugural flight, together with the picture of King Salman of Saudi Arabia, the host of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
As a #Muslim newspaper, we don't just monitor & analyse media reportage of #Islam and its values such as #hajj, #ramadan, we walk the talk & featured the inaugural flight of Nigerian pilgrims for #Hajj2024 on the cover of our May 2024 ed. with the story & picture. #Hajj1445 #Gaza pic.twitter.com/Rdav14lpU7
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) May 18, 2024
As a Muslim newspaper, we don’t just monitor and analyse media reportage of Islam and its values such as hajj, ramadan, etc, we walk the talk, and this explains why we featured the inaugural flight on the cover of our May 2024 edition with the story and the picture.
The 16-page newspaper will be available for free distribution at major Islamic centers and central mosques across Nigeria beginning today, Friday, May 17.
It should be noted that Muslim News, Nigeria’s most authoritative Islamic Newspaper, dedicated an entire 16-page to Hajj 2022 and 2023 respectively.
It's our pleasure at Muslim News, Nigeria's most authoritative Islamic Newspaper, to present to Nigerians, the world, the e-cover of our July 2022 edition which focused on the #hajj2022, with the tag; Emergency Hajj. #Hajj1443 #makkah #Hajj #Arafat #NAHCON #MuslimNews pic.twitter.com/gfdlsLNXAx
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) July 23, 2022
Explanation:
Over the years, the operations of hajj have been grossly underreported due to what many observers and media experts described as media bias.
To this end, this calls for self-help on the part of Muslim media practitioners to take the lead in promoting Islamic contents such as Hajj because they need to tell their stories for others to pick them up.
A veteran Nigerian journalist, Femi Abbas, said it’s not surprising that the inaugural flight was conspicuously missing on the front pages of major newspapers, stressing that most of the editors in the mainstream media are biased and always seek to undermine reports that will promote Islam and Muslims.
We finally drop our 16-page e-paper of 2023 Hajj edition
Muslim News, Nigeria's most authoritative Islamic Newspaper has completed production of its special edition which focuses on Nigeria's participation in the 2023 #Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Download HERE> https://t.co/WaTyaVmbFy pic.twitter.com/XF8SEJXvL2
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) September 12, 2023
“On the other hand, Muslim reporters who are supposed to make a case for stories on Islam, especially why the inaugural flight deserves a mention on the front page are not well educated and enlightened. They can’t convince their editors to get Islamic stories on the front page,” he added.
Alhaji Abbas said mainstream media will start prioritising Islamic reports if Muslim media such as Muslim News and others rise up to the occasion and tell their own stories.
“Your medium is already doing what they (mainstream media) fail to do. Other Muslim media should do the needful. They should rise up to the occasion and lead the charge. Once they start promoting Islamic reports, stakeholders in the mainstream media may have a guilty conscience to also run Islamic reports and give them prominence on their covers,” the newspaper columnist added.
‘What is news varies according to media’
For his part, a multi-media lecturer and editor with Voice of Nigeria, Dr. Qasim Akinreti, posited that what is news to a medium may not be news to the other, adding, “that informed why such a big event that had Nigeria’s Vice President and leaders of the Muslim community in attendance didn’t grace the front pages of many Nigerian newspapers.”
According to him, to some media, those personalities gracing the inaugural flight isn’t news. To some, it’s news. Yet, to some, the news in the inaugural flight is the subsidy government gave out for Hajj, which they knew would sell or promote their newspapers because of the uproar it has caused. There is no way they can talk about that without making reference to the inaugural flight. What is news to your own medium may not be news to the other medium.
“There are centrifugal forces even in the media. Everyone has a narrative and an interest they are trying to push. You won’t see this kind of a story in Daily Trust for example. You are not also likely to see it in Leadership or other newspapers in the northern part of Nigeria. But in the southern part, you are likely to see it because to them it is news. That is stratification of news, to see how it suits your own interest.”
Searchlight on N90bn Hajj subsidy
Dr. Akinreti said the media stakeholders who are feeling irritated by the subsidy should understand that the government will also provide same for the Christian pilgrimage and other sectors.
He argued that government has a duty to satisfy every segment of society and the assistance given to Muslim pilgrims does not in any way affect governance.
“There is usually not much fuss about the pilgrimage of Christians because virtually every year, they go there for tourism. But in Islam, hajj is one of the five cardinal pillars of Islam which a Muslim (that has the means) must observe. So, as far as Muslims are concerned, they must pursue it at the time they need to go. Every Muslim feels government owes him the duty to support him to do his religious rite.
“People would say why are they not using the money for other social benefits. But they should understand that government is very tricky; you must satisfy every segment of the society. As a leader, you must take steps in support of everyone you govern irrespective of their religious biases. There would always be complaints, especially from people who do not get that opportunity. It can also be linked to Islamophobia because a lot of people do not understand Islam and they are not ready to understand it. It feels like it is giving them discomfort one way or the other.
“The assistance that government has given to Muslim pilgrims does not in any way affect governance or development in whatever form. The Northern governments have their own plans for their pilgrims. Thus, what the Federal Government did is a way of assisting the people.”
Advice to NAHCON
The veteran broadcaster charged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to promote positive stories around the hajj operations and engage major mainstream media and specialized Muslim media, including in the adversarial news organisations, to change the narrative about hajj.
“What you do is to create your own content and get media people that will speak positively about your projects. It is as simple as that. I know NAHCON has a group of journalists that covers hajj. Some of them have been sending stories to me. The media team of NAHCON should be all-encompassing.
“If NAHCON wants to be strategic, they should pick from media organisations that do not have good narrative about them. Let them go and cover hajj and see for themselves what it is all about. Some of them are just ignorant. When Isha Sesay covered hajj for CNN in 2012, it changed the entire narrative of how the world now sees Hajj pilgrimage. CNN lifted reportage on hajj for that year. This is strategic media engagement.
“NAHCON should also look out for the major leaders in the media, who probably are also Muslims and can turn the page for them. When these things happen, it’s also an opportunity to reflect. However, NAHCON must also have it at the back of their mind that no matter what happens, people will always do negative stories about hajj operations. But the positivity of it is what we need to promote at every point in time. Get prominent social media influencers and let them post the pictures of hajj operations on social media and get people talk about it.”
What are the other factors militating against the reportage of hajj in the Nigerian mainstream? How best can they be addressed for better reportage of Hajj 2024? Feel free to express your views.
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