The cancellation of Miss World event scheduled for 7th December 2002 in Abuja Nigeria did not come as a surprise to me.
The British press had been very hostile to the idea of Nigeria hosting the event. Numerous articles based on misinformation and racism poisoned the minds of contestants from participating. The result was withdrawal of some contestants. The height of press bias was the London Evening Standard's report of the gala night event held in London.
Their headline stated "Stoning storm marred Gala Night". No such incident occurred, I attended the gala night, to my knowledge, that headline was the imagination of the reporter.
In fairness to the contestants and the organisers of Miss World, they summoned courage and travelled to Nigeria.
The blame should not be placed solely on the bias of the British press. The Nigerian government, politicians, and undemocratic forces should also take responsibility for this debacle.
When opportunist decided to use Sharia as political weapon against President Obasanjo. The Federal government should have made pronouncement on the constitutionality of applying Sharia Law in Nigeria. The Government's silence was construed as a green light to wreck havoc on Nigerians in the name of religion by fundamentalist.
In the process thousands of innocent lives have been lost. How long can this continue, Politicians of all persuasion have failed to grasp the magnitude of the problem, which confronts Nigeria.
Was hosting Miss World a priority? When millions of Nigerians are starving and living in abject poverty. Should the event have been hosted during Ramadan? Was Abuja the right venue? What about cities like Port Harcourt, Calabar, or even Lagos. How prepared and co-ordinated where the security services. Why did the Federal Government concentrate its security apparatus on Abuja only? Was the offending article necessary in the first place?
As a Christian, the offending remark was mischievous and calculated to cause its desired effect. Are the laws on the statute book dealing with irresponsible journalism adequate? Journalists also have a duty to distinguish between tabloid sensationalism and quality reporting.
On the Public Relations front, government officials should have made the rounds to Cable Network station, International Newspapers, or perhaps hired a reputable PR firm to counter some of the deliberate and in my opinion lack of understanding of the political issues involved.
These questions should critical looked at when an inquest is done.
If Nigeria is to be taken seriously in hosting future events, perhaps we need to put our house in order. Other opportunities will arise, like the world cup, summits and other events. The 2003 elections is an opportunity for the Federal Government to get it right.
All stakeholders of the Nigerian Polity have a duty to ensure a peaceful political transition. Undemocratic forces, fanatics should not see the shift of event as victory. The voice of reason is victory.
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