IT’S SEASON FOR GIFTS

Opinion:

BY OLOYE ‘LEKAN ALABI£

As the Christian world gradually enters the yuletide season of Christmas gifts of hampers, turkeys, calendars, diaries, etc, may I humbly caution deliverers such as PAs, SAs, Secretaries etc, to let integrity, good conscience, fairness etc be their guide.

The biting economy and inflation are no doubt great temptations.

27 years ago, on Thursday, 3rd November, 2023, the Guardian on Sunday newspaper issue of Sunday, 3rd November, 1996, on its “COCKTAIL CIRCUIT” page, carried a story titled: “THE MINISTER MUST HEAR THIS”.

It’s all about “a Press Secretary to an embattled minister of who recently ‘won’ a savage war declared on a ‘recalecitriant’ constituency”

The Press Secretary in question was alleged in the Guardian newspaper 1996 story to have misappropriated the end-of-year cash gifts from his boss to Journalists covering the (Minister’s) constituency.

Pricked by the gravity of the open allegation, as it were, I reacted to the Guardian’s story.

My article, originally titled: “TREADING A THORNY PATH” was slightly edited by the Guardian on page 20 of its 22nd December,1996 issue, to read: “Press Versus Public Relations”.

Despite the change in title, my 1996 message to conveners of gifts, listed in the opening paragraph of this post, was NOT lost – that the quality and quality of gifts ordered by their bosses/corporate organisations to be given to recipients MUST NEVER be tampered with.

27 years after, the “pounded yam” is still pipping hot and can scale the palm of a defiant consumer.

*Snr. Chief ‘Lekan Alabi, the Maye of Olubadan of Ibadanland writes from Ibadan.