The burial of Prince Abubakar Audu yesterday reminded me of the same journey we all went through after the demise of the Ooni of Ife,Oba Okunnade Sijuwade ..He is dead,he is not dead,he is dead ,i say he is not dead.Everyone was confused.I am not the type that quickly jump into such arguements..I also thread on the course of caution,when these type of "news" breaks..It all started like a rumour which i ignored.I was one of those that fully confirmed his "final death" yesterday after Sahara Reporters came up with the news..Many people didnt believe it,i didn't either, because i saw the man with my korokoro eyes live on Saturday..How can he die just like that.I worked my phone for about an hour,my luck came through when i finally got across to a very very reliable aide of his.His simple answer when he picked my call was "YES,CKN ,HE IS GONE",he didnt even give me any opportunity to ask any other question..With such assurance,i was really poised to go to town with it..Several of my colleagues in the media,both electronic and even National Daily Editors were waiting for my confirmation which i duly gave them.It was another rude shock when this morning again ,my phone was ringing without end,my whatsapp and bb were on fire..My readers,fans and even colleagues were calling to confirm the rumour (as if na me be the man PA)..I almost ignored it but a message from a top government official in Lokoja jolted me.He informed me that the whole of Lokoja was agog ,that people were dancing and jubilating on the streets that Audu has "ressurected".Ressurrected ke,how come?..Does it mean that the man never died.Did his aides put us on a wild goose chase.Did they just use the announcement of his death to decieve us. Panic,joy ,sadness enveloped everyone..I stopped picking my calls since i don't know what to tell them.Finally ,i called my darling sister Linda Ikeji as we normally do and exchange information when such knotty issues comes up..We spoke for about 15 minutes..At the end,our conclusion from our different major sources confirmed that the man was truly dead and was about to be buried..Infact the grave has been dugged and people were trooping to his residence for the final burial.
Once again,i had the courage to tell others what i have heard..A chat with my very good friend, the Political Editor of Thisday Newspaper Olaleye Olawale finally sealed my confirmation.
Atimes some people don't know how far some of us go to get these information.They just see your posts and believe its all about copy and paste..It gets to a point in your career,where you have to also position yourself as an authentic source of reliable news.The death,ressurection and final death of Late Prince Abubakar Audu has gone down as one of those trying moment where information management becomes key.Another lesson learnt on this blogging/journalism job.
I WISH THE MAN A SMOOTH PASSAGE,WHILE I CONTINUE TO WONDER WHAT THOSE THAT STARTED THE RUMOUR STAND TO GAIN BY SUCH...IKENGA CKN
