19/07/2022
EXCERPTS FROM BAD ROADS (A NEW POLITICAL THRILLER COMING SOON).
The MEDIA ROOM was a brick house with four rooms. The former administration had built it with the sole aim of reducing the number of Journalists allowed to cover the Senate and House of Representatives’ open sessions. The first room was manned by a young man in his late 20’s. His Job was to collect vital information from prospective Journalists aiming to be accredited. He sent the information to the second room thereafter. The second room was manned by an intelligence unit. Once they received the name and credentials of a prospective journalist, they would conduct a secret research into his or her background after which they will send the result to the third room. The job of the officers in the third room was sort of political in nature. Once they received the findings of the intelligence unit, they would scrutinize it after which they consulted the top hierarchy of the National Assembly. If the top brass in the two houses felt the journalist in question would be a political nuisance, then accreditation may be denied. If they don’t, then the name and credentials are sent to the computer room-fourth room. In another one week, the accreditation card would be issued. In all, the whole process took up to three to four weeks.
Author: Oladele George Abayomi