• As Angry Pope Francis threatens to fire Nigerian priests 

A veteran journalist and poet, Mr Akeem Lasisi, has called on journalists to write books to enable a large number of people to benefit from their knowledge.

“It shouldn’t be about covering events. The news reporting that we do everyday largely flows with the wind.

“Where were the stories you and I wrote five years ago or six years ago.

“You can only find them in one archive or library somewhere people don’t get to talk about them again,’’ Lasisi said in Lagos at a launch of a book he co-authored.

Lasisi, a poet for more than 25 years, said that some journalists developed ideas that could form books, but did not produce books out of them.

The book is entitled “Phenomenal Lagos: 50 Iconic Places in the Centre of Excellence’’.

Lasisi, an Assistant Editor with Punch newspapers wrote the book together with Mr Kabir Garba, an Assistant Editor with the Guardian newspaper.

The book is about tourism and arts in Lagos State.

It has to do with iconic places that made Lagos to stand out.

Lasisi, a two-time winner of the Association of Nigeria Authors’ Poetry Prize, covers arts and culture for the Punch.

“We did not allow our own idea of `phenomenal Lagos to die.

“We wanted it to be part of   `Lagos @ 50’, but there was funding challenge.

“We were not deterred. We decided to put the profile of each of the places with photographs and an accompanying poem.

“It is about culture and tourism, to identify 50 strong places in Lagos,’’ he said.

Lasisi’s co-author, Garba, also said that journalist should be able to write books because they travelled widely.

“It is good for journalists to think outside the box. Let’s endeavour to leave something behind,’’ he said.

Some of the places highlighted in the book are the National Theatre, Eko Hotels, Tinubu Square, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos House, Computer Village, Brazilian Quarters and Lagos Lagoon.

The others include the National Museum, Lagos Central Mosque, Christ Church Cathedral, Marina, the first storey building in Nigeria, Lord Lugard House and Black Heritage Museum in Badagry.

The book has 119 chapters.

Every chapter is accompanied by a poem and photographs of iconic places.

Lasisi graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, while Garba graduated from the University of Ibadan.

In the meantime, Pope Francis has laid down an ultimatum to defiant Nigerian priests: lose your job if you don’t obey me and your bishop.

According to a report by Associated Press, Pope Francis met June 8 at the Vatican with a delegation from the Ahiara diocese, south-east Nigeria where priests have been refusing to accept the 2012 appointment by the then pontiff, Benedict XVI, of the local bishop.

The Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, reporting the pope’s unusually harsh order, said on Sunday that Francis was acting “for the good of the people of God” by threatening to suspend the priests from the ministry if they didn’t pledge in a letter, by July 9, “total obedience” to Francis and accept Bishop Peter Okpaleke’s appointment.

Mr. Francis told the visiting delegation he was “very sad” about the priests’ refusal to obey and ruled out tribal loyalties as explaining the refusal.

Africa has been one of the continents where the Catholic church is growing. The faithful and clergy there often imbue their practices with local culture in dynamic contrast to more traditional routines in Europe or North America.

Francis’ move to end disobedience to the Vatican aims at ensuring the growing church there will be loyal to the pontiff.

His remarks to the visiting delegation indicated how dangerous he viewed any rebellion against papal authority.

Those priests opposing Mr. Okpaleke’s taking up of his office “want to destroy the church, which is not permitted,” the pope said in his address to the delegation.

He added: “the pope can’t be indifferent” to the rebellion.

He has often taken a conciliatory tone in resolving disputes, but in this one he was entertaining no diplomacy. He demanded that each priest in the diocese write to him asking forgiveness and “clearly manifest total obedience to the pope.”

They must also accept the bishop chosen by Rome. If, within a month, each priest doesn’t do so, he will be “ispo facto suspended,” such as from the celebration of the sacraments, and “will lose his current office,” Francis warned.

Francis acknowledged that his move “seems very harsh.” He added that he had even considered the extraordinary remedy of suppressing the entire diocese but didn’t, so as not to hurt rank-and-file faithful.

He said he thought the rebellious priests might have been manipulated from outside the diocese or even abroad, but named no culprits.

In 2015, the diocese served around 520,000 Catholics, out of a local population of about 675,000, and had 128 diocesan priests and seven other priests. It wasn’t immediately clear how many of the priests were involved in the rebellion against the bishop’s appointment.

Additional report from Premium Times