Saturday 30 April 2016

PICTURES FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2016

Gbemile Oluwatosin.

Photo splash
Youths in search for fuel at Ogba, Lagos  Pix Gbemile Oluwatosin

While South Africa's first black President Nelson Mandela was honoured in the Palestinian city of Ramallah on Tuesday with the unveiling of a statue donated by its twin city, Johannesburg

A young woman is seen through the horns of a bull at a cattle camp in South Sudan

Men on stilts beat a 16-feet-long (almost five metres) drum at a drum festival in south-western Nigeria's Abeokuta city

A man plays a slightly smaller instrument at the festival held to showcase Nigeria's rich musical and cultural heritage
Pictures complied by Gbemile Oluwatosin and http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36161912

Friday 15 April 2016

MY ORDEAL AS A PHOTOJOURNALIST


The truth of the matter.

Gbemile Oluwatosin

It’s 2PM already, no fuel, no light, thank God there is still food to eat in Nigeria. My ordeal inside the black maria continues, thank God I smuggled in my phone which served as a saving grace. Come to think of it, if I wasn’t with my small phone what would have happened? My camera, android phone and ID card were all seized from me. The small phone which i took in was what those people docked inside the black maria alongside me used in contacting their families. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.
 

 Video credit; Folami Concept


When has it become a criminal offense to capture a force personnel on camera, when they are already in the public domain? This was my response when the police officer arrested me, immediately I became helpless because the policemen were with gun, the annoying aspect of the matter was when they started “flogging me like a student that refuse to do his assignment on time”.

In actual sense, I never had the intention of capturing the policemen on camera they unfortunately found themselve on my frame which I can’t control at that point in time, but I later knew the reason why they arrested me, which basically the public must not see (Broadcast) nor hear (Print) about it.

“Never argue with any Force men whenever they’re with gun, best option is to remain silent”, God forbid in the process of arguing with they shoot you, who will there to defend you?
As at 4PM, I was still in the black maria when my released had been ordered by the DPO of police, Lagos State thanks to the Provost of the Nigerian Institution of Journalism, NIJ, Gbemiga Ogunleye Online Editor of the Nation newspaper,Lekan Otufodunrin, the mavin crew star boy, Korede Bello,Ayodele Samuel Ayokunle Oloye, Owanbe CEO, Emmanuel Ola Abraham, Yewande Bidemi Yanju Uwala and those I could not remember their names.

Still inside the black maria, even without my camera to capture the illegal activities I still capturing the illegal activities the task force of the Nigerian Policemen were doing, they were busy extracting fuel from the tank of the seize Okadas into their small gallon, hmmm, no wonder I was arrested, what my camera can’t capture, my mouth would voice it out!.

Still on the road, waiting to regain my freedom, another set of young men were arrested and docked inside the black maria, out of my curiosity as a journalist I asked what happened, they said “I brought in my kegs to buy fuel, and they said I was a black market seller”.

So this is how some people find themselves inside black maria for the offence they didn’t commit, and they can only be granted free hearing at the court of law, and that’s when they have good lawyers to defend their case.

Friday 8 April 2016

MY EIGHT HOURS INSIDE BLACK MARIA

My ordeal as a #photojournalist and a journalist.

The truth of the matter.

Gbemile Oluwatosin

 “If your journalistic profession or duties hasn’t been tested by the enforcement team then all you do is basically Public Relation”

Do we really have right in our Country? or is the Chapter 4, subsection 39 of the Nigerian Constitution (Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to uphold opinions and receive and import ideas and information without interference) had been tore off? I guess it’s time all the Taskforce team, and Police should go through the Constitution.


As far as I’m concerned I did nothing wrong to warrant my arrest by the Policemen and the taskforce, because I was actually busy with my duty as a pressman capturing newsworthy image and unconsciously the Policemen entered inside my frame, as at the time I was framing my subject, moreover, the Policemen were out of focus, immediately they ordered me to come over, in the process they maltreated me and docked me inside the black maria “mobile prison”.

I was released 7:15PM, since 10:15AM I was docked inside the black maria, despite the fact that my release had been ordered by the PRO of Police, Lagos State. “If your journalistic profession or duties hasn’t been tested by the enforcement team then all you do is basically Public Relation”.

As at 2pm I was still inside the black maria busy making some necessary call contact just to hasten my released, another group of guys were ducked inside, asking them their offence, they told me that they themselves don’t know, that all they knew is that they came to purchased fuel inside the keg, and the Taskforce team accused them that they’re black market seller. At a point I taught it’s time to head towards Alausia, looking through the small window we’re at Maryland………….hmmm!!! No fuel to power my generator neither is their light to power my phone. My ordeal continues……#Photojournalist. Gbemile Oluwatosin.

Friday 1 April 2016

DR, DELE OMOJUYIGBE BOOK LAUNCH

Journalists must disseminate news appropriately.

Dr Dele Omojuyigbe briefing journalists.

Dr Dele Omojuyigbe, Mr Ayo Akinkuotu, Mr Dotun Adenijo, and Provost of NIJ, Gbemiga Ogunleye

Provost of NIJ, Gbemiga Ogunleye, Femi Macaulay and Prince Uthman Shodipe


Book launcher, Femi Macaulay

DR Dele Omojuyigbe



Mr Ayo Akinkuotu.




Provost flipping through the book.

Post Graduate Students at the book launch.
Pix Gbemile Oluwatosin

Gbemile Oluwatosin

Every media organization has a social responsibility to perform in the society, and make it a better environment.

This was the submission of Mr Femi Macaulay member, editorial board of The nation newspaper at the book launch of Dr Dele Omojuyigbe in Ogba, Lagos.

Mr Macaulay noted that whether ideology is overt or convert, the bottom line in journalism should be objectivity, “news may not wear the cloak of objectivity as glibly canvassed in media circles”.
However, while the language of reporting may reflect the ideology of the reporter, perspective is not necessarily unobjective.

In his is own words, Dr Dele Omojuyigbe, noted ''that should not always conclude on every story reported,and should make appropriate research and findings before concluding on a story''.