Still On Maimuna’s Brother Wedding..Our Position CKN Nigeria



None of our post has generated the type of reaction as we had in the past twenty hours over the marriage of Miamian’s brother..
Background
On Sunday 3rd June 2012 Dana air Flight 9J 992 from Abuja to Lagos crashed at Toyin street Iju Ishaga,Lagos barely two minutes to landing killing all 153 passengers and crew as well as over twenty others on ground.
The Anyenes
Among those killed were the families of Mr Onyeka Anyenne,his wife Maimuna,four children (including a set of twins, his mother inlaw and two other relatives.
The Anyenes who were based in the USA were in Nigeria to attend the wedding of Maimuna’s brother which was billed to take place this weekend.
Our Involvement:
CKN Nigeria had the singular privilege of breaking the news of the plane crash online and sustained it with exclusive pictures of the crash which was used and duly acknowledged across the globe by AFP and other world acclaimed networks.
We continued our coverage by giving a minute by minute account of th event, including rescue missions, publication of victims as well as putting a face to most of the victims .
The Anyenne’s as a Special Case
Of all those involved ,the case of the Anyenne’s was the most pathetic because of the nature of death and number of family members involved. The loss of a single relation is hard to bear, talk less of an entire generation and number running into nine.
We sustained their story as well as digging further to know whom the family was..Pictures speaks many languages and that of the Anyennes were mind burgling.
Maimuna’s Brother Marriage
The question on every ones lip was, will the marriage be postponed or will it go on despite the great loss to the family. No one for sure was in a position to ascertain that until early hours of yesterday when we had an urgent call from a close friend of the family that the marriage would take place yesterday.
The Great Search for the Venue and authenticity of report
Immediately we received the massage which we later found was true,we dispatched some of  our best hands to comb the whole of Abuja where every one believed the marriage will take place.
Phone calls were made, leads were followed but after about an hour search, we were able to realize that though the information about the marriage was true,but the venue wasn’t.
A reliable source called to inform us that the marriage will actually take place in the Nigerian commercial capital, Lagos.
We have to collapse the Abuja team and raise another crack team of our reporters in lagos to track down the venue and make sure we get the first information about the wedding before any other news media in Nigeria and overseas.
Though it was tasking, our job was made easier when we finally laid our hand on the text message sent around inviting very few exclusive people to the wedding.
On getting to the venue, gaining access was a big problem since we wre not on the invited list.Moreso, the family apparently wanted to keep the wedding away from the prying eyes of the media.
The organizers were shocked to see our crew. They tried to persuade us that there was nothing like a marriage going on.
We stuck to our gun and even showed them the invitation text messages..With this they had no other option than to let go.
Apart from saving you the full story about the wedding, we decided to take a shot of the couple to authentic our story.
This was how we became the first media house to break the story and follow it up with the picture that is now circulating around the globe.
Accusation of been bias:
Few people have accused us of been bias in our reporting of the wedding. Some have also told us it was a family decision which we have no ,moral right to question. others have accused us of working for some fifth columnists who are out to destroy the young couple.
We have also received several phone calls,text messages,emails ,bb messages on the report.
Our stand
Contrary to some of the above belief, our aim is not to destroy the young marriage.We have tried as much as possible to as balance as we could in our reporting of the event..Sensationalism as we are been accuse of should be left to the judgment of our readers. As could be rightly see on our page, we have published almost three hundred comments of our readers on the issue(unedited)..Everyone has something positive or negative to say.
On our part, we believe and still STRINGLY too that the wedding should have been postponed for the following reasons.
1. Contrary to some opinions that the wedding was a family issue, this to us is not sustainable. The marriage stopped been a family issue immediately the Anyenne’s lost their entire household in that crash.
They have been transformed from a mere family to a national and International loss. Never in the history of Nigeria has a family lost such number in a single air crash. Their loss has become our pains. So whatever her immediate family was doing, the mood of the entire nation should have been taken into consideration.
2. A postponement of the wedding till the dead were buried would have been ideal ,atleast in order to respect Maimuna and her four children whose charred and burnt out bodies are still in the morgue.
3. The reason been adduced that it will be a double liss yo the family if it was postponed due to the elaborate arrangement and expenses already incurred is unsustainable..How much do you put I terms of value to life..How much does a life cost?..Here we are talking about nine people.
4. The theory that they were Muslims and therefore have no reason not to go ahead with the wedding is a complete mirage.
Yes,Maimuna’s family are moslems,but the Anyennes are Christians from the South. This automatically nullifies those analogy..The people being mourned are not mourned because they are Muslims or Christians..A little tarry would have solved this whole issue.
5. The wedding has put a complete a cloud in our resolve and advance towards inter tribal marriage as sustained by this couple. It leaves a sore taste in the mouth for the advocates of inter tribal marriages.
It could be seen by the other party as a sign of INSENSITIVITY..putting into consideration our cultural and religious differences.
To the average Notherner,it may mean nothing, but down south it could be viewed differently, most young couples who may want to engage in such marriages in the future may be prevented from doing so by their siblings if the Anyennes were to be used as a case study
Finally we will disagree with those who said,Maimuna would be happy anywhere she is seeing that the wedding went ahead as planned.
Our simple question is, would Maimuna or her husband had attended the wedding if either of them were alive and their children were still in the morgue?.
We wish the couple the best of luck and wonderful marital bliss.
It is our sustainable belief that in all these,; lessons have been learnt.
May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace. Amen..CKN Nigeria

CKN NEWS

Chris Kehinde Nwandu is the Editor In Chief of CKNNEWS || He is a Law graduate and an Alumnus of Lagos State University, Lead City University Ibadan and Nigerian Institute Of Journalism || With over 2 decades practice in Journalism, PR and Advertising, he is a member of several Professional bodies within and outside Nigeria || Member: Institute Of Chartered Arbitrators ( UK ) || Member : Institute of Chartered Mediators And Conciliation || Member : Nigerian Institute Of Public Relations || Member : Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria || Fellow : Institute of Personality Development And Customer Relationship Management || Member and Chairman Board Of Trustees: Guild Of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria

15 Comments

  1. CKN. this is neither here nor there. Reporting on that marriage the way you did was tasteless. We, as writers and journalists, need to be mindful of how we cover news and the negative impact that news will have on innocent people.
    All said, there are no stipulated mourning periods for the bereaved and no one can convince me we, the public, feel more pain than those directly affected.
    It was sensationalism at its best Nwannem. But I understand why it can't be helped.

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  2. Now you are getting really absurd and I am about to break down your sorry excuse for journalism.

    "...text message sent around inviting very few exclusive people to the wedding" - shouldn't this give you a clue as to the fact that they have toned down the wedding and they just want close family and friends.

    "Sensationalism as we are been accuse of should be left to the judgment of our readers" - How quickly you forget the title of your first post. Let me remind you, it reads "Exclusive: Highly Uncharitable..Maimuna's Brother weds after losing sister". If that ain't sensationalizing and highly judgmental then I sure don't know what is.

    "The marriage stopped been a family issue immediately the Anyenne’s lost their entire household in that crash" - How on this earth can someone's marital decision become a national issue?! Please riddle me that and while doing so, refrain from sounding retarded. What should be a national issue is the fact that these family members died in their attempt to honor their brother at his wedding, and due to the negligence of your government & airline management they crashed and died. Stop fighting the wrong battle, face your crumbling system.

    "...in order to respect Maimuna and her four children" - I'm guessing now you feel you have more respect for their own loved ones than them right?

    Now to add insult to injury - Your post is poorly written, full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors which shows the manner of small minded individuals and mediocre talent that is behind this blog. If you are using this story to drive traffic to your blog at the expense of a grieving family, that's disgraceful and distasteful. Be gone with you...you are the weakest link...goodbye!

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  3. Not to be rude,but CKN would you please proof read your stories before posting. Spelling errors, grammatical errors......The list goes on. It feels like some kindergarten kid writing....Thanks

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  4. Moshdeesown10/6/12 2:33 pm

    CKN! I must hail you as the biggest joke of a journalist to hit the Nigerian biosphere. You are indeed a complete moron and truly are the insensitive one. Everyone except narrow minded persons like yourself have nothing but praise an commendation for the couples bravery in going head with the wedding. Only you have written and spewed all this negativity and foulness regarding them and it is all a making of your warped mind and your crave for popularity and attention. I can tell you that I have never heard of you and you are not the place to come to for credible news you are a fraud and a disgrace to all Nigerians. Talking about the south south what do you know about the south south. Stop claiming to know their belief system, stop claiming to be the voice of everyone. You stand truly alone on this one! To the extent that you've typed the same story 10 times goes to show that it is purely personal for you and it's your view point alone.

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  5. CKN, yu rli av a lot to learn in journalism.Dnt yu v editors?its rli sad i wasted my time reading ur story.its so faceless.

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  6. I ask again, WHAT IS UR BUSINESS?
    You are not human, to go on n on about this issue n keep tormenting this family, u must be an animal.
    I was at this event and it was more like a funeral. Mayb ur sorry excuse for journalists went somewhere . Take down Ndakos stories.

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  7. God will punish you for this post. How dare you think you have any justification for this stupid post. You were running around the country on top of what doesn't concern you. Your foolishness knows no bound.

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  8. Even though I believe this post by CKN is purely selfish and aimed at driving traffic to your site, I will comment. YOU ARE SIMPLY FOOLISH.

    Yoshi couldn't have said it better- God bless you.

    This post (and website) just goes to show how shallow and insensitive hungry Nigerian journalists can be. Anyene's case is not NATIONAL. Families who are lost daily to accidents, bomb blasts, sickness, fires,...do you make them national heroes/stories?

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  9. CKN, you need to respect the culture and know that as Nigerians, we do not make big decisions by ourselves, as long as we have elders in our family. Continuing to "try" to justify your inconsiderate view is appalling and i pray you are never tested in such a way. Will postponing this a week or months out bring back one person? I know the bride and groom, i came from the U.S. for the wedding and i can tell you the decision to go ahead was not easy and simple, this kids have been crying none stop on this great loss.
    This is not a national affair, its a private affair between 2 people. You want to make it a national affair, because "the Anyenne's lost their entire household," is the nation responsible for the funeral, how about you take your grammatically, error filled excuse of a blog and talk about why it happened in the first place and what can be done to prevent this in the future.

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  10. Very well said Yoshi! This article is what I find most insensitive not the couple.Your title reads Smiling at their wedding today after losing their sister with her four kids,husband and mother. Should they have been crying so that you and the rest of the world would believe they are truly mourning?

    Since the writer claims it is a national loss, I would like to ask Has the writer of this article or anyone of us commenting stopped eating, going out etc since the crash. I bet the answer is NO! We have all carried on with our daily lives.

    Please great people, We may not agree with the decision these family have made, in fact we don't have to agree with it, but I would like to beg us all that we should at least respect the decision they have made and leave them alone. They do not owe us an explanation on what they choose to do or not do or how they choose to do it.

    As a matter-of-fact, Who would like to have prayers for deceased done before their wedding??? I am sure NO ONE. So why are we crucifying the young man. Isnt that enough trauma already?

    Moreover, the writer has made it clear he wasn't invited to the wedding, and had to
    practically fight his way through the doors. If I were Ndako, I would have you sued for putting up the wedding pictures unauthorised.

    To be honest, I think what we should be more concerned about is to use our voices, our blogs, our comments, our words whatever tool we have, to fight for a better Nigeria. A Nigeria where things work, where the system functions appropriately, where the leaders are accountable. A society that thinks of his masses, provides for them, protects them and secures them in every way possible.

    Hope for Nigeria is not yet lost. Let us work together to make Nigeria great.

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  11. I never leave comments on blogs but will make an exception due to your stupidity.
    Who are you and who cares what you think?
    You need to know that your miserable self cannot and will not represent Nigeria as a whole?
    How can you grief more than the bereaved?
    Hope you enjoy your 5mins of fame cos that is all you will get and as you cause sadness in peoples life's may you reap it a thousand folds.

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  12. I feel like beating you with a tree trunk. How dare you slime your way into a private ceremony to gain your 'exclusive scoop?' May you and whoever the 'close friend' was who sold out his friend in this way never know rest. May a thousand fleas invade your pubic hair. May you have a life time of boils under your armpit. You really think you can excuse yourself with some pathetic grammatically challenged excuse? How is this marriage any one's business but the couple's? They should have taken the mood of the nation into account. seriously? Are you crack? The wedding going ahead has shown that inter-cultural marriages don't work?! How did you get to that Einstein? You are a disgrace to the profession you claim to belong to.

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  13. There's nothing more dangerous than a failed journalist like you. Enough said!

    Oh, there's more. Which university did you say you graduated from again? How come you can't seem to write proper English, yet you have the nerve, the stinking nerve to make fun at our First Lady.

    I knew you would end up with your foot in your mouth. But, seriously dude ... get your head examined, you think badly.

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  14. CKN!!!! Wow!!! Are you for real?!?
    It’s so amazing how much untruths are embedded in your article.
    “we dispatched some of our best hands to comb the whole of Abuja where every one believed the marriage will take place.” Everyone???? The wedding venue was never Abuja, it had always been Lagos.
    “the family apparently wanted to keep the wedding away from the prying eyes of the media.” The main goal was to have a couple of events that day with friends and family alone. One could go on and on, but really what exactly is your goal?
    Is it all in the name of feeling important… because you sure made a big deal about being the first to bring news, pictures etc.....however, in your attempt to rush to the forefront, it seems you shed a great part of being human and have truly revealed how unprofessional you are.
    In your articles, it seems you keep trying to drive a wedge between the Mijindadi's and the Anyenes.....PLEASE STOP. Those two families were united in marriage and became one. Remember, what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
    Besides, do you have an idea who was at the wedding? Probably not since you crashed it. If the Anyenes were represented, would you write another article criticizing their decision?
    You stated you had so called journalists at the event….. Why didn't they report the story unbiased? Why the huge effort to capture the couple smiling? What happened to their cameras when the couple was obviously crying?
    To be a front runner in journalism like you so wannabe, you need to practice what great journalism is about - it's about setting your bias aside and reporting the whole truth about a story. Not just the part that adds some sizzle, and fuels your unwarranted bias.
    Lastly, did you know Muna or her family? Definitely not! And that's probably why you chose to ask your so called "simple question". The love that family share is so great, bigger than what you can possibly imagine and people close to them know without a doubt that all family members that lost their lives on that crash would have wanted the couple to be very happy (Much happier than they were on that day). So in answering your so called simple question, ONLY GOD KNOWS for they verily well might have…....You of all people can not have a clue, you didn't know them, nor her family, so keep your speculations and theories to yourself and DO NOT insult her family over ways in which they have chosen to handle THEIR loss.

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  15. http://obehiokoawo.blogspot.com/2012/06/grief-stricken-ndako-weds-despite-death.html


    Now that's a story worth reading. Shame on CKN

    ReplyDelete
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