Ethnic Politics in Nigerian Media: How Truth and Public interest suffer

By Femi Kusa

Former Editor The Guardian Newspapers

Irohinoodua amended the original headline of this story. Nothing else was changed in the content

The fourth instalment of this series was written along with the third, but was not published immediately after it because other questions which demanded equal and urgent attention came up. I thought it would appear only on my FACEBOOK page (at John Olufemi Kusa). For two reasons, I decided to conclude it on this page. First, some readers of this column who are not FACEBOOK patrons requested a print copy.

The other is the reply to the series by Mr Kingsley Osadolor, Editor of THE GUARDIAN on Sunday, before I took my bow from The Guardian newspapers. When I was advised by the editorial staff of THE NATION newspaper to expect Mr Osadolor’s rejoinder, I replied that he had a right of reply. I had been examining criticisms of president Bola Tinubu’s 12 June 2025 Democracy Day Awards. Many critical radio stations in Lagos spiked the Awards in respect of the journalists I mentioned in the headline. In other informed circles, there was a division about Mr Alex Ibru. I tried to argue in his favour and reflect the divide. I was an insider at the Guardian, and, so, can speak about the roles I thought each person played to deserve or to not deserve the awards.

 KINGSLEY OSADOLOR

He was a voracious reader like Mr Debo Asesinà, Deputy Editor (News) on the dàily Title, The Guàrdiàn and Greg Obong-Oshotse, à founding reporter. However, his penchant for uncouth language still hangs about him like weighty dross, as can be seen even in a simple rejoinder. Wasn’t this why he needed to be well supervised as editor?

My presentations addressed SERIOUS QUESTIONS, which he avoided. Some of those questions were.

( 1) Did The Guardian newspaper back out against the fight for democracy after publisher ALEX Ibru joined the cabinet of despot Gen. Sànni Abacha?

(2)Under pressure from publisher Alex Ibru, did the Editors of The Guardian, led by him, go to Abuja to beg Abacha to forgive them for opposing his government and reopen the newspaper? In other words, did they bow to tyranny?

3). Was it the front page publication by editor Kingsley Osadolor titled INSIDE ASO ROCK which he did not present to Director of Publications/Editor-in-Chief Femi Kusa for vetting which was the last straw which broke the camel’s back in Abacha’s tolerance of The Guàrdian’s opposition?

4) If it was not this publication which càused the trouble, às editor Kingsley Osàdolor tried to make us believe in his rejoinder to the àssertion that it was, Why did he flee his home and go into hiding within a few minutes of being informed by personnel from the company’s security department that government security agents hàd taken over the company premises? If we did not know why Abacha shut the Guardian, why did Mr Osadolor go into hiding? While escaping, why did he not stop over at my residence which was about 50 meters away from his on a straight line to inform his boss, as a , about what had happened? Mr Osadolor’s rejoinder gave rise to other important questions which I will address in earnest.
Rather than address these questions, he went for THE PERSON, like the snake which attacks the hand which lifts its lair to expose it. What have the remarks of Emeka Izeze, Wole Agunbiade and Ogbuàgu about me got to do with the questions being unravelled?

  THE GOSSIP MILL

Mr Osadolor gave the impression that they all often gossiped about their Editor-in-Chief. His intent was to paint the latter as an incompetent laughing stock. I would like to remove Mr Emeka Izeze from the gossip matrix, because he wàs, and I believe he still is, a pastor of the Deeper Life Church and, as such, should know what The Bible says about gossips and idolaters since, as a pastor, his dream is to become an inheritor of paradise after earth-life. In my view, therefore, he would not deliberately get involved in gossip as Mr Osadolor suggested. Iam aware there is no leader on this earth who is not an object of gossip by rustic subordinates. The Guardian was filled with persons who were still at the level of gossip in their earth lives.

I was near the News Editor’s office one day when someone in the newsroom said something about a prominent member of the Editorial Board in relation to professor Wole Soyinka. Next day, the object of the gossip came to me to say he had heard what I said about him. My reply was that I was beyond such things. I could give up the speaker, but I declined to, because he would be devoured. When Chief Rotimi Williams was speculated dead, I invited Political Editor Akpo Esajere to my office. With two other reporters and a photographer he was to go to the home of Chief Williams under whose love and support Mr Alex Ibru grew up. Chief Williams was, through this fatherly relationship, our legal adviser at no cost to us. As speculations could be untrue, I instructed Mr Esajere to not frontally enter into the assignment. He was to park the pool car outside the gate of Chief William’s house. Thereafter, he was to go in to greet papa and tell him he was driving by and couldn’t pass by the king’s palace and not drop in to say “kabiyesi”. That was if he found him hail and hearty. If the old man was still on his feet, Mr Esajere was to do an interview with him not related to health for publication next day to defuse the speculation. If the matter was on the other side, he was to employ his free will and act professionally.

Happily, Chief Williams was on his feet. What happened after? Some gossips telephoned Mrs maiden Ibru, wife of Mr Alex Ibru, that I had upset the family of chief Williams by breaking to him speculations in town about his health. Mrs Ibru informed her husband. Which wife would not? Mr Alex Ibru was furious. Who in his shoes would not? He spoke roughly and angrily with me. I asked Mr Esajere to explain to Mr Alex Ibru what happened. The dust settled. This is where the conveyance of assignments through memos bring benefits. I hope Mr Osadolor is better educated about the memos his rejoinder accused me of writing when I could easily have verbally conveyed instructions. I will expand on this soon. Before then, please permit that I cite another example of unwholesome gossip which Mr Osadolor eulogised.
One day, Mr Alex Ibru called me to his office to tell me the Ibos said I disliked them. I had just returned from Abeokuta where I had a meeting with the Managing Director of Ogun State property and investment company (OPIC) in respect of land I was encouraging our reporters to purchase at OPIC Isheri North estate through passbook savings account. I had about 14 passbooks in my French suit inner pockets. I brought out those passbooks and about nine of them belonged to Ibos. Silence fell. All he told me was that I should be more careful with my people. I learned later that the lie was fomented by a young Ibo woman whose life and her uncle- in- law’s I had saved from the Buhari-Idiagbon military junta by refusing in detention to disclose her as the source of the information which landed Mr Tunde Thompson, our Diplomatic Correspondent and Mr Nduka Iràbor, assistant news editor in jail for one year. The appeal I will like to make to Mr Osadolor in respect of gossip in any work place is that while children will behave like children, elders should behave like elders. I know that many elders, irrespective of this Yoruba admonition, will ever behave like children. This is because their egos had not grown to become child-like but were still childish and there is a great difference between childlikeness and childishness.
I do not gossip since I knew about the spiritual dangers of gossip which I may touch upon if space permits. Were I to be a gossip, Mr Lade Bonuola could have gossiped to me that my appointment as Editor of The Guardian in succession to him was on the way. It was announced at the gala party to celebrate the fifth anniversary of The Guardian. I was not there, but working in the office, as Deputy Editor, to co-ordinate running copies from the event for publication next day. Suddenly, my eyes fell on a copy announcing me as the new editor. I thought a mistake had been made and immediately put a reporter in a pool car to tell Mr Bonuola so at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja Lagos. He sent me a confirmatory note which he signed and he returned to the office soon after.

It was not in 1983 when The Guardian came into being that subordinates anywhere on earth began to gossip about their bosses. So, I should not be surprised if Mr Osadolor and other subordinates of mine gossiped about me.  Are all gossips true? If I may help his case with more gossip, I once led editors to a Nigerian Guild of Editors conference in Abuja. We could not easily find an aircraft to bring us back to Lagos. Our travel cash was running out. Many of us relocated to my room, to reduce hotel cost. When we returned and they cleared their travel loans, some of them made claims  for the days they slept in my room.

If I approved them simply because they were editors, would I not be guilty of complicity? Of course, I did the right thing, and they were unhappy. Should I expect them to not gossip about me or be frightened of their gossip? Mr Osadolor may also like to hear this about Mr Izeze when he was editor and I was his Editor-in-Chief. We had complaints from Abeokuta by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ogun state that our correspondent there converted to personal use monies sourced from certain individuals for the welfare of their group. I forwarded the petition to Mr Izeze. What did our books suggest? Anyone whose hands were soiled by such things had to go. Mr Izeze recommended he be brought to Lagos for some time. I could overrule him, but I decided to not. A few months later, this reporter returned to Abeokuta. Weeks or so later, he was MURDERED at night in the house he built. Mr Izeze and I saw his blood everywhere. We attended his funeral in Ibadan. The wailing of his extended family members touched me. I do not know how Mr Izeze felt. Could Tunde Oladepo’s life not have been saved if he was dismissed as our books said? If I overruled Mr Izeze, it would be said I was not allowing editors breathing space or enough leg room in matters which concerned their staff. Mr Oladepo himself may end up giving me a bad name.
Mr Osadolor cannot say he was unaware of latter day ethnic politics at The Guardian from which some persons profited.

 ETHNIC PRESSURES

I do not know if he was aware that Mr Andy Akporugo whipped up Edo/Delta/ Uhrobo sentiments against Ibos and Yorubas and trapped Mr Alex Ibru into his game plan.

When Dr Stanley Macebuh, as Managing Director, had troubles with Mr Alex Ibru and the board decided that he was importing and selling sugar, an activity considered to be “divided loyalty” in management, was this not thrown up as a Yoruba manipulation which knocked Ibo and Yoruba heads? Mr Osadolor should salute the candour of his Editor-in-Chief who protected him and some other newsroom staff who, without an approval by the company, enrolled for the study of law at the University of Lagos. For three or four years, I covered their tracts. I did the same for proof readers and even approved study leave with pay for two of them . In my office, Gbenga George and the secretary will not forget this generosity. Gbenga was office assistant. Both were part time students of the Yaba college of technology! I digressed to remind Mr Osadolor that he had a prejudiced opinion of Mr Femi Kusa, his Editor-in-Chief.
IZEZE AND OSADOLOR
I suspect where the prejudice is coming from. Mr Alex Ibru wanted me to make Mr Osadolor my successor as Editor of the daily title as I moved from the office of the Editor to that of the Director of Publications/Editor-in-Chief in succession to Mr Lade Bonuola who became Managing Director in succession to Dr Stanley Macebuh, who had to go in view of the sugar importation crisis. Mr Ibru wanted me to recommend Mr Osadolor as Editor. I did not know he has discussed it with Mr Lade Bonuola whose opinion I did not know. Mr Osadolor was from Edo state and that suited Mr Akporugo’s politics more than Mr Izeze, who was an Ibo. I believe Mr Osadolor joined our system from African Guardian magazine run by Mr Akporugo and which Mr Ibru disbanded when it became a drain pipe on the finances of The Guardian. Mr Ibru persuaded me to accept Mr Osadolor as Deputy Editor to me before this time. He spoke glowingly about Mr Osadolor, especially in view of his first class degree from the university, about which Mr Osadolor always referred, whenever his attention was invited to a misjudgement on his part. As I always informed him in the memos he mentioned as detested by him, he forgot that some other persons, too, were first class materials. I informed him in writing, a university degree was a mere promise of ability, and that what constituted ability in the work place were EFFICIENCY and EFFECTIVENESS. These perspectives are taught, in a responsible master’s degree programme in business studies.
Back to the MAKING OF EMEKA IZEZE EDITOR OF THE GUARDIAN. At that time my recommendation to Mr Ibru counted more than that of Mr Akporugo. Simply, I told Mr Alex Ibru we had just had a rumpus and Ibo staff exit over Dr Macebuh’s forced retirement. In the British tradition of newspapering which we adopted in Nigeria, the Editor of the Sunday title became the Editor of the Daily Title and the Deputy Editor of the daily title became the Editor of the Sunday title. This progression was disturbed in The Daily Times, and it led to its destabilisation. Mr Gbolabo Ogunsanwo, Editor of the Sunday title, had hoped to become Editor of the daily title when chief Areoye Oyebola was dramatically removed as Editor and Mr Segun Osoba(as he then was), from outside that progression, succeeded Mr Oyebola in August 1975 and was himself succeeded by Tony Momoh four months later.Alhaji Jose removed Mr Oyebola from office because, as Editor, he failed to come to the office on the heels of a military coup to produce his paper. Mr Osoba went to Alhaji Jose’s house to bring him to the office and, together, they produced the newspaper for some days. Alhaji Jose bypassed Mr Gbolabo Ogunsanwo as well because he did not come to the office as he thought the events belonged to not the Sunday title but the daily. If my memory serves me right, the Deputy Editor of the daily title who should have become the Editor of the Sunday title became, instead, Editor of the daily title by way of double promotion. Hell was let loose, as it were, in the Daily Times, paving the way for General Olusegun Obaasnjo, then Head of State, to forcibly acquire 60 percent of the shares of the newspaper on behalf of the government.
I told Mr Alex Ibru journalists know themselves. If they could rebel against Alhaji Babatunde Jose, a fellow journalist who was chairman of the Board and the Managing Director as well, who was Mr Alex Ibru? Ibos left The Guardian with Dr Stanley Macebuh. By our structure, Mr Emeka Izeze, an Ibo, was senior to Mr Kingsley Osadolor from Benin. If Mr Emeka Izeze was bypassed and Mr Osadolor was implanted, would this not be another bad signal to the Ibos?
Mr Alex Ibru agreed. Mr Izeze became Editor of the daily title, and Mr Akporugo and his ethnic jingoists lost out. I salute the courage of a member of his auxiliary troops once again. I did when he opened up to me recently, seeking forgiveness. I did not realise our problems in the newsroom often ended in the inner Chambers of some native doctors! When I doubted the rendition, he confirmed that he was recruited to be the driver of the lead man who was seeking extra terrestrial powers. It was then I realised Mr Alex Ibru could have been under a spell! I say “could”, because during our heated last telephone conversation when he spoke to each of us directors of the company, he kept shouting that he never asked Mr Akporugo to set one ethnic group after another.
TO BE CONTINUED.