FG, NUJ On Yahaya Bello: Insensitivity, Impunity Or What?-By Bola BOLAWOLE

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I thought I was seeing double when I first saw the report on social media that the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the professional body to which I belong, has bestowed a “Lifetime” award on the immediate past governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello. Remember him? Impunity, recklessness, and controversy trailed Yahaya Bello while in office. His regime was not only mired in violence but also marred by allegations of corruption. So, I couldn’t believe my eyes as I read the report – but the story is real.

Yahaya Bello is still standing trial on charges of corruption – a celebrated case for that matter, because of the theatrics that both Bello and the prosecuting EFCC introduced into the matter, but Yahaya Bello’s especially, as he played hide-and-seek game with the anti-corruption agency. And the amount said to be involved was staggering, running into almost N100 billion.

Of course we must not forget the seeming judicial abracadabra that allowed him to become governor in the first place and the mindless violence that secured him a second term of office. Ta-ta-ta-ta! That was him mimicking the sound of the rain of bullets that awaited anyone standing in his way. Lives were lost. Once in power, he did not rule – he reigned. Emperor Jean Bedel Bokassa – even Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada and Mobutu Sese Seko – would be envious of his record.

But like those ones before him, his reign ended in ignominy. He became a fugitive running away from the law. He started to hide under the bed of the successor he had installed by all means. It was then that everyone knew that the man who called himself a lion was a weakling; coward and effeminate. It took him months after leaving office to come out of hiding and surrender himself for trial. The case is still in court.

How can such a fellow be lionised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists of all professional bodies? Journalists are the touted watchdog of society. They are constitutionally charged to hold the government accountable to the governed. They are deemed the conscience of the people. Like Caesar’s wife, they are expected to be above board – even if everyone around them is losing his or her head. For this reason and because of the onerous responsibilities entrusted on them – which many will agree is sacred – laws were made not only to protect journalists but to also help in facilitating the seamless discharge of their obligations.

Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) states that “the press, radio, television, and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people. Those fundamental objectives, responsibility and accountability of the government to the people include good governance and the eschewing of violence, impunity and corruption – all of which hallmarked Yahaya Bello’s sojourn in power.

There is also the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) 2000 which gives the public (including the media) the right to access information in possession of public authorities. The aim is to promote transparency and accountability by allowing individuals not only to request information from, but also obligating public bodies to disclose such information, subject to certain exemptions.

Another aim is to encourage an informed and open society by allowing the scrutiny of how public authorities operate and spend public money. In other words, the media have the onerous responsibility of holding the feet of those who preside over the public’s affairs in various aspects of life to the fire. They are the guardian of public morality and custodian of its values.

How, then, can such a body consider Yahaya Bello of all persons worthy not just of an award, but a Lifetime Achievement Award – and at this point in time? Bestowed on the recipient on Saturday, 21 June, 2025 at the NUJ’s 70th anniversary and book presentation in Abuja, the reasons adduced by the union were “in recognition of the former governor’s outstanding contributions to the welfare of journalists, especially in Kogi state under his watch”.

The NUJ mentioned the GYB (Governor Yahaya Bello) Annual Workshop for Correspondents and Editors at which the former governor trained “no fewer than 200 media professionals per session across Nigeria on developmental journalism and how to sharpen their writing skills” NUJ added that “seasoned media chiefs and professors of journalism were also on ground as members of the jury in the essay competition that followed the workshops, with cash and other prizes won each year”.

If the award, the reasons for it, and its timing were appalling, the list of “dignitaries across all sectors” that purportedly graced the occasion, who saw nothing wrong with the company they chose to keep, speaks volumes to how integrity has taken flight from these shores. Is it not said, “Show me your friend…” and “Birds of a feather…?” Let me spare you the horror of reeling out the names of the “dignitaries”, save to say that some of them were doyens of the media profession who should know better, and who should be more concerned about the good name, reputation, and integrity of our professional association.

How can the watchdog grovel at the feet of characters whose name and memory draw hisses from the people? Why should we begin to fawningly give suspicious awards to the very people we are expected to perform oversight functions over by holding their feet to the fire? And why should we begin to receive sponsorship, cash and prizes from compromised and despicable sources? How dare we drink from polluted streams? What name can we call their “generosity”, albeit with public funds, if not gratification with the intent to compromise and corrupt?

For reasons such as these, I, as PUNCH editor, purposed in my heart to forbid our reporters to belong to those sub-group associations like the women’s group (NAWOJ), Energy correspondents, Sports Writers’ Association (SWAN), etc. Oh yes, because of this kind of grotesque “fine bara”, cap-in-hand, and begging bowl mentality that demeans and diminishes the good name and reputation of respectable and well-meaning journalists and lowers the profession as a whole in the eyes and estimation of members of the public. But the various lockdowns, proscriptions, and detentions by the IBB and Abacha military juntas that happened during my tenure, and the fact that my editorship did not last that long, frustrated my intention.

I detest it when the media give awards to, solicit funds and receive sponsorship of their events from the government and its agencies especially, as well as from the private sector. That way, you compromise your independence, and press freedom properly so-called is constrained. Not only the sub-group associations are guilty of this; the NUJ itself is. So also is the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE). I dare to say that the reason many contest for union offices is because of the largesse that accrue from such sponsorships!

I think this has got to stop! If others do it, not the watchdog! If NANS, the once vibrant students’ union, has been reduced to a pitiable sight as a result of its hobnobbing in search of sponsorships and doing the bidding of politicians, not journalists! If the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has also joined the fray, not journalists! Witness the recent embarrassment visited on the Bar by the Military Administrator of Rivers state over these same shenanigans of sponsorship and the cesspool of corruption embedded in it! My people have a saying: Once the mouth has eaten (especially the forbidden fruit), the eyes will be compelled to overlook the bitter truth!

While I was still struggling to process “our award” to Yahaya Bello (I am sure you know I am a member of the NUJ and NGE!), another one on the same subject of interest, this time from the seat of power gan-gan, hit me like a thunderbolt! The Presidency was widely reported as issuing a congratulatory message to Yahaya Bello on his 50th birthday, commending him for his “historic emergence as the youngest democratically-elected governor in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and his role in advancing youth participation in governance”.

My goodness! Wonders will never end! Was this man a shining example of youth participation in politics? Can we hold him aloft as a role model to our youths? Did he make the youths proud or did he fall their hand, as they say? Will Nigerians be proud to have a youth like him as their President in 2027 or subsequently? Lord have mercy! Is it that there are no standards here anymore with which to measure performance in public office or that these people are all birds of a feather?

Apostle Paul says “all things are lawful for me, but not all things are expedient” (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23). The Presidency and NUJ may claim they have breached no law, but they have offended our sensibilities and trampled public morality. This is simply not the right time, if at all, to celebrate Yahaya Bello. Not even the legal technicality of “the accused is deemed innocent until proved otherwise” will sufflice here.

Former editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/Editor-in-chief of The Westerner news magazine. He writes the ON THE LORD’S DAY column in the Sunday Tribune and TREASURES column in New Telegraph newspaper on Wednesdays. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.