Hi All,
I’m afraid that’s all we have time for, thanks again for all of your questions.
Here’s a parting note from Yomi:
I am a Nigerian. A proud Nigerian. I believe our country shall get it right. I believe impunity is on its way out of the psyche of top government officials. I believe we will conquer corruption. I appreciate the global demonstration of support I got in my trying moments. Peace to the world!
You can follow the Guardian’s week-long focus on Lagos here and on Twitter #guardianlagos.
Here is the best of the week so far:
Updated
Did you ever publish your findings?
@GuardianAfrica was Yomi able to publish or disseminate his findings?
— Sope Williams-Elegbe (@drsope) February 23, 2016
When Nigeria becomes a safer place for serious investigative journalism, we will publish our findings and more.
Bravery
Thank you. But I must confess that in the thick of my near death ordeal, back on the 25 June 2015, I was not feeling so brave!!
Does Nigeria need more anti-graft journalists?
By email Alan Davis from the Institute for War and Peace reporting asks:
Is part of the problem simply that there are too few people working to investigate and spotlight corruption – and therefore part of the solution, to share and reduce the risk by increasing the numbers of people investigating corruption: if so, how might that be done?
Yomi replies:
Yes. The more people available to undertake investigations into corrupt acts the less the risk to the few individuals involved at the present time. It is important to encourage more people to be involved, risky as it is.
Support for Nigeria’s journalists
Guardian staff Are there any organisations or individuals who are restoring your faith in Nigeria's journalism? And who is leading the charge in protecting and ensuring press freedom?
Yes. I must acknowledge with deep gratitude the role of The Nigeria Union of Journalists. They have been wonderful to me. There is also the invaluable support I am getting from the committee to protect journalists. The Lagos state government have also put some of its legal organs at my disposal. A lot of other groups have expressed outrage at the assault, expressing the hope that justice will be served.
Has it affected how you do your job?
Will this experience prevent you from taking personal risks in future whilst doing your job?
With this experience one will approach future engagements with more caution, but one is certainly not about to give up the practice of journalism
How does corruption in Nigeria compare?
Hi, Glad to hear you are recovered. My question is: How corrupt is Nigeria in comparison with other African countries? in your opinion.
Compared to other African, even non-African nations, Nigeria is not the most corrupt. Our problem is largely one of stigma and a bald absence of a national vision.
Bad as things may appear here, we still do a lot of things right. We have surpassed the class of African countries that have presidents for life.
And we somehow remain Africa’s largest market for every imaginable, and unimaginable, commercial product!
Updated
How endemic is corruption?
By email An Chan asks:
I used to live in Lagos as a child and still return to visit family and my experience has been that corruption is endemic from the moment the wheels touch down at the airport. As a local journalist and one that has been subjected to severe trauma both physically and emotionally, do you hold out much hope for Nigeria and the sense that officials are all part of the system? Strengthening the chain of intimidation and corruption?
Yomi replies:
Yes. In spite of my very close shave with death, I still believe that Nigeria is not beyond redemption. What we need to confront head on are our values, institutions, transparent processes and statistics.
What we have at the present time is an unbelievably archaic system. A system that failed when Nigeria was 30-40million people [today’s estimates put it at 173 million]. What we have is a grossly analogue country driven by public officials who are largely pre-historic; ill-equipped; with the wrong approach.
The Nigerian public system, which includes police, immigration and customs, are over centralised, unwieldy and amorphous. We must do something about this ugly fact.
Updated
Justice for the attack
The really interesting aspect to this case will be how the courts deal with the claim for damages. If and when the courts are able to penalize the Nigerian Customs heavily. Lets say award damages of N1 billion then that would serve notice that none of these govt bodies are above the law and cannot assault citizens with impunity.
That is of course what should happen.
Any fine will be paid by the Customs Dept (ie the State, from taxpayers' funds), not by the individuals concerned. So what is the point?
The case highlights the bankruptcy of conventional thinking about how to combat corruption. There are, of course, other ways - but there are fears that they could undermine Western business and security interests.
Well an action, especially an effort to get redress, must start from somewhere. I am of the opinion that once justice is served, it is left to the agency responsible to take appropriate steps to weed out the elements brought it into disrepute.
Why investigate customs not political elites?
Why were you investigating customs involvement in smuggling when the corruption that most affects Nigeria is amongst the political elite? Was it because you would be killed rather than just beaten up if you did this?
Nobody involved in any corrupt act will fold his arm and willingly allow exposure so there are high intrinsic risks involved in reporting crime.
Corruption is a criminal act. It is a clear fact that almost every criminal act requires some collaboration on the part of those entrusted with sensitive roles.
Nigeria’s economy is import driven. Which leaves it vulnerable to those who are criminally minded. These folks and their partners, local and foreign, will do anything to keep their criminal acts going.
Fighting corruption
By email Tymek Majewski also asks:
What do you think has to happen to bring a systematic and long term change to Nigeria and its attitude to corruption?
Yomi says:
First our people must believe in Nigeria, and this goes way beyond lip service: intense and vigorous efforts must be invested in building strong and viable institutions and we need to introduce strong value systems into our national psyche.
Every Nigerian needs to be assured of a basic, comfortable, quality of life. Once this is assured. The need to resort to self help becomes drastically minimised, the urge to steal from yourself becomes nearly non existent.
So to my mind, strong institutions, equity, a fair playing field and transparency are the place to start for Nigerian to get back to a place of pride in the comity of nations.
Support for journalists
@GuardianAfrica 1/2 To your knowledge are there any courses or workshops currently being offered to journalists or researchers
— phoebe hertzog (@phoebehertzog) February 23, 2016
@GuardianAfrica 2/2 ( current or future) on how to recognize, record and react to corruption during investigation or research?
— phoebe hertzog (@phoebehertzog) February 23, 2016
Yes. I am aware of a number of initiatives are being proposed to widen the professional acuity of Nigerian journalists – focused on how to handle the volatile nature of inquiring into, and reporting on corrupt practices across Nigeria.
The Nigerian Union of Journalists is also open to collaborative efforts to hold trainings, workshops and seminars of these nature.
On a personal note, I am in the final stages of planing a workshop, (hopefully in April) which will look into the safety of journalists as they go about their constitutional role: the watchdogs of society.
Advice for others
Would you advise others to emulate you in undertaking anti-corruption exposes?
Corruption is a global malady. It is just more nuanced in certain countries than others.
Corruption is a cankerworm that must be confronted head on by all people of goodwill and the fight against it must be embraced by all, especially foreign collaborators.
Recovery
By email Tymek Majewski asks:
Are you OK? Are you recovering well?
Yomi replies:
Yes. I am ok. Getting stronger each day. Optimistic too, that my left eye, badly traumatised during the assault will eventually heal.
Hi All,
Just to let you know that Yomi is ready to begin.
Thanks for all the questions so far, you can continue to leave them in the comments, on Twitter @GuardianAfrica or by email maeve.shearlaw@theguardian.com.
I’m looking forward to the discussion.
Assault on Journalist: Court hears suit against Customs Monday - Vanguard News https://t.co/OGS9zNVymd via vanguardngrnews
— OTUNBA OLOMOFE YOMI (@YomiOtunba) February 22, 2016
Yomi John Olomofe was looking into allegations of smuggling among Nigerian customs officials when he was beaten and left in a coma last June.
“While beating me, they threatened to kill me so as to serve as a deterrent to journalists writing stories about them,” he said after the ordeal, which left him physically and emotionally scarred.
Olomofe had joined an investigation being carried out by McDominic Nkpemiyie, the Lagos correspondent of state-owned Tide Newspapers, who was also injured in the attack.
Pictures of Olomofe’s injuries were circulated on social media and when a few weeks later he appeared on Channel S TV to discuss his experience, he had to wear dark glasses because his eyes were still badly damaged.
The beating of Olomofe, the executive director of Prime Magazine, sparked outrage among fellow journalists who said his case raised serious questions about their safety.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) filed a case to the Lagos state federal court on the grounds that his human rights had been compromised, asking for 500m naira (£1.7m) worth of damages from the customs department. The case is due to begin next week.
“It [is] unfortunate that journalists who played a prominent role in the return of democracy to the country have continued to be battered by security agents and the powers that be,” a human rights lawyer representing Olomofe told Nigeria’s The Sun.
The head of the NUJ in Lagos urged other journalists to support Olomofe’s quest for justice, adding that “an injury to one is injury to all”.
Reporters Without Borders ranks Nigeria 122 out of 145 countries, describing the country as a “news black hole”.
Any questions?
Olomofe has agreed to join us for a live Q&A Tuesday 23 February between 1-2pm Lagos (12-1pm London) to answer your questions about how he has dealt with his experience, the state of Nigerian journalism and how to stop others suffering the same fate.
Any questions? Add them to the comments below, tweet them at @GuardianAfrica or email maeve.shearlaw@theguardian.com
Updated
What a brave,brave man you are. Do people realise that heroes like you will allow Nigeria to stand proud in the world?