There has been some report in Nigeria on talk show host Mo Abudu and her partnership with the Lagos state government in some charity benefit. I have included below my comment which I sent to NEXT newspapers:
It appears I am revisiting an issue which should be dead and buried by now but as an admirer of Mo Abudu. Perhaps that’s the reason why the debate over the street children project (involving her Inspire Africa foundation, UNICEF and the Lagos State government ) is particularly bothersome.
The issue here is not whether the allegations made against her and her foundation in the media (and fueled by word of mouth) are true or not. That’s beside the point. For rumors to spread, they do not have be truths or half truths at that. Life is unfair, at least in that sense. As a matter of fact, the important ingredient driving a story in the society’s consciousness is the good old conflict. And that trumps truth any day of the week.
Am no expert but I once read somewhere that the spread of rumors is proportional to: (a) paucity of information on the issue at hand and (b) importance/relevance of the issue to the populace in which the rumor spreads. Mitigate any or both of these two factors and you may be unto staving its spread.
To the best of my knowledge, the first factor was addressed to a degree in this publication a week ago in the form of a paid advert by the Inspire Africa foundation stating their side of the story. But this was a good two weeks after the allegations were reported in the same publication whereas what you do within the first 24 to 48 hours may make or break your case with the public. A week or so later may be well too late.
Also these reports were made by perceived third parties (the media and commentators). Readers are especially credible independent third parties with nothing to gain or lose for sharing their opinions on issues. Now that would be tough to beat.
It is worthy of note that a recurring theme in the responses of readers to the report was “transparency” or the lack of it by the foundation. Whether real or imagined, I fear that for Ms Abudu to retain her coveted position with the public, this must be addressed soon.
Admittedly this is not a PR disaster of epic proportions. I hope it doesn’t however impact negatively on the foundations future projects.
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2 comments:
Good day and thank you for posting this. I have observed all the comments on this issue for a few weeks and will quote some of the strongest responses and add some of my own.
1. You do not try to defend a negative. You simply state the facts and move on, especially when talking to the Press. Because they control the medium, they will bury you under the weight of an accusation , if they choose to be biased. Only truth will eventually prevail.
2. I applaud Mo Abudu's decision to wait to release an audited account by an international accounting firm, instead of just releasing her interim accounts which are for the eyes of her donors only. To do so in the press would mean breaching accounting protocol to satisfy press bullies. I hope she doesn't give in to this. The interim accounts have been sent to all donors, Lagos State and UNICEF and signed off on by them.
Therefore, the allegation that she didn't release the accounts is false. To release it to the public at large would be a betrayal of her trust to her donors. Are you aware that when people give, they prefer to remain anonymous and if you wish to make their donations public, you must first seek their consent?
3. Would UNICEF, an international body support Mo Abudu if she were fraudulent? I think not. Their accounting standards are even more stringent than ours and they are careful who they associate with.
Will the US government have allowed their Secretary of State to be interviewed by Mo Abudu if their character checks weren't well done?
4. Since the issues began, only a particular Commissioner in Lagos State has had a problem with Mo Abudu. The Government as an institution has stood by her and signed off on her statement of accounts. Why is this particular lady so averse to Mo Abudu? Why did she keep insisting on an MoU, despite Inspire Africa having already signed one with UNICEF. I sincerely wonder if this isn't personal. An external observer at a meeting between Inspire Africa and Lagos State also mentions that the commissioner even denied ever granting interviews to NEXT. Makes you wonder what's going on, doesn't it?
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I must admit, you have followed the issue more closely than I have.
At least her "Google Quotient" (what results turn up when her name is typed into that search engine) hasn't suffered from the issue. Let's hope the good news makes off the internet back into mainstream media.
Thanks again.
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