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DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA BY AKIN OSUNTOKUN

In the autumn of 1994, while serving as a visiting editor at Deutsche Welle, I presented a paper on the June 12, 1993 presidential election annulment crisis and media partisanship. At the material time Nigeria was steeped in the polarising crisis of the annulment of the June 1993 presidential election. My argument was that the character of the Nigerian press could not be understood without its history. That history dates back to its origins in the pre-independence anti-colonial nationalist struggle. It was birthed as an instrument of agitation and propaganda against the imposition of colonial rule. Of the three leading figures of Nigeria’s independence (Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello) for instance, two of them, Azikiwe and Awolowo started their political careers as journalists.

This prescriptive role was captured in the foreword to “The path to Nigeria’s freedom” (authored by Chief Obafemi Awolowo), by the British colonialist pundit, Dame Margery Perham. While restating the responsibility of the British colonialists to play a guardianship role in piloting Nigeria to independence, she bristled “Britain will not do this successfully if Journalists and others use the immense powers and influence now in their hands, to destroy the goodwill and confidence between the British and Nigerian communities”.

After the Independence of Nigeria in 1960, the Nigerian press found itself replaying a similar role of opposition for much of the protracted rule of military dictatorship. In the absence of civil democratic rule, the media, inadvertently, expanded to fill the vacuum created by the suspension of institutional opposition. Beyond the conventional role of holding the government accountable, much of the radical populism of the contemporary Nigerian media is explained by this evolutionary path.

On arrival at Osogbo to conduct a town hall meeting for candidates competing in the off-season Osun state governorship election, the other day, we were met with a glancing allegation of a general (Arise News) bias against the All Progressives Congress, APC. The accusation was news to me. As a media veteran of sorts, I could not see a justification for the allegation other than the measure of one or two personal idiosyncrasies. I waved it aside until it became a random observation by friends and acquaintances on being apprised of my appointment as Director of politics of Arise News.

What is true is this. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC are the personification of the dominant status quo powers in Nigeria today. And like all other status quo powers ante bellum, they are liable to be the focus of adversarial press.This is compounded by the aggravating governance style lapses of the government, by omission and commission. A crucial dimension to the liability are the long term economic stabilisation policies of the government which have inevitably fostered acute pains and deprivation on the vast majority of Nigerians-hopefully in the short term. Steeped in the immediate gratification and resource curse syndrome of the Nigeria, the introduction of these measures constitute a culture shock.

Against this background and at par with the pledge by former President Muhammadu Buhari to fix the naira at one to one parity with the dollar, was the pandering of some presidential candidates in the forthcoming election to restore the ruinous regime of oil subsidy if elected president.

My oft stated view is that Nigeria is suffering from a systemic crisis and unless it is apprehended as such, all efforts to tame its surface manifestations are going to come short. Nigeria is grappling with an innate alienation and lack of empathy for the Nigerian state by the peoples comprising Nigeria. It is a rentier state crisis that has lent itself to the mockery of the country as “I Chop, You Chop” (I eat,you eat) society… who behave as though they were transients in a huge national boarding house and seem to believe in the “survival of the fastest” and place considerable social and political premium on gluttony’

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration governs at a particularly challenging time. The removal of fuel subsidy, exchange-rate reforms, rising food prices, unemployment, insecurity, and the general cost-of-living crisis have affected millions of Nigerians. These are matters of major public interest. Any credible media organisation is obligated to report them, examine their consequences, and give citizens an opportunity to express how they are affected.

ARISE News, like other broadcast platforms, regularly features debates involving government officials, policy analysts, civil society voices, opposition politicians, business leaders, and ordinary Nigerians. Naturally, some of these guests will be critical of the administration. Others will defend its policies and argue that the reforms, though painful, are necessary for long-term economic recovery.

It is also necessary to distinguish news dissemination from the views of guests, columnists, analysts, and programme anchors some of who choose to channel the partisan distemper of opposition groups and views.These do not represent the editorial position of the television station.

Government officials are often invited to explain policies, clarify decisions, and respond to allegations or public concerns. When they appear on air, they should expect serious questions. Many come unprepared and for whatever reasons, others are inexplicably reticent in joining issues. A journalist who asks difficult questions is not necessarily an enemy of the government. In fact, such questioning can help public officials communicate more clearly and address gaps in policy implementation.

The Tinubu administration deserves recognition where its policies produce positive outcomes. But it must also be held accountable where Nigerians experience hardship or where public concerns remain unanswered. This is not opposition; it is the normal responsibility of a free press.

Equally, journalists have a duty to be accurate, balanced, and responsible, ensuring that criticism is rooted in facts rather than malice or political hostility.

ARISE News should therefore be assessed by the balance, accuracy, and professionalism of its overall coverage—not simply by whether every report or an individual opinion is favourable to the government. Criticism is not hatred. Scrutiny is not sabotage.

Whether ARISE News is “anti-Tinubu” should therefore be judged by its overall coverage: 

Does it air government responses and interviews with APC or administration representatives? 

Does it report positive developments and policy explanations as well as failures? 

Does it distinguish opinion by guests or anchors from verified news reporting? 

Does it allow differing political perspectives on its programmes?