By Tunji Olaopa The Nigerian Tribune was established in 1949 by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Being seventy-five years old in 2024 and hence achieving the status of Nigeria’s privately-owned newspaper in Nigeria is a testament not only to the foresight of Chief Awolowo and the managerial acumen of those who have kept its legacies afloat all these years. It is also an indictment of all that have gone wrong with nation-building in Nigeria since independence in 1960. My time at the Nigerian Tribune was one of the best I had ever had in terms of intellectual stimulation and engagement. The editorial board meeting was always an intense one that task our critical perspectives on issues surrounding Nigeria’s economy, political status, democratic governance, international relations, and all sundry matters that relate with the founding vision of the newspaper. An editorial board that had the imprint of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Aiyekooto Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, Abba Saheed Akogun Tola Adeniyi, Mr. Felix Adenaike, Mr. Biodun Oduwole, Mr. Folu Olamiti, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Dr, Dokun Bojuade, Prof. Ebenezer Obadare, Prof. Wale Adebanwi, Prof. Farooq Kperogi, my colleague at the National Institute (NIPSS), Kuru, late Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, Edward Dickson, Dr. Lasisi Olagunju, Debo Abdulai, Sina Oladeinde, Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, Dr Festus Adedayo, Dr Wale Are-Olaitan, and so many other worthy gladiators of the journalistic guild. The Nigerian Tribune had to guard its ramparts against an encroaching debilitation of journalism as the fourth estate of the realm. At the height of the administrative violence of consecutive military regimes in Nigeria, the press and the media became the whipping boys that were subjected either to the culture of silence under the jackboot, or were lured into the warm arms of corrupt tendencies. It therefore takes only a fearless newspaper to keep churning out editorials that are sufficiently pungent and incisive to retain the sense of what an intrepid and ethical journalism ought to look like. It was not surprising therefore that the Tribune would be one of the outlets for my intellectual restlessness and my coming of age in terms of reform advocacy. I was then a public servant that was struggling with the challenge of being a neutral and anonymous while also passionately trying to push the fundamental elements of institutional reform and administrative matters into the public consciousness. And being in the midst of eminent scholars, academics, journalists and personalities was all the encouragement I needed to contribute my own quota to the critical enunciation of what ails Nigeria’s postcolonial status and how it could be resolved. I am a development thinker and institutional reformer, and Nigeria’s predicaments cannot be divorced from the lackluster performance of her civil service system and its capability readiness to capacitate democratic governance. The significance and continuing relevance of the Nigerian Tribune cannot be dissociated from the ideological sophistication and foresightedness of Awolowo’s nationalism and patriotic commitment to the Nigerian state. Awolowo’s intellectual and political engagement with the Nigerian state was one of tough love. Even though for him, Nigeria was “a mere geographical expression,” it was the responsibility of Nigerian nationalists and statesmen and women to fill out its potentials and responsibilities to its masses of citizens. And Awolowo had to grab the dilemma of being a Yoruba leader and a Nigerian nationalist by the horn. Being Yoruba, in his reckoning was a necessary plank in holding up Nigeria to its plural essence, rather than a divisive ethnic element. To prove his commitment to fashioning a truly significant ideological framework that would ground democratic governance, Awolowo insisted on democratic socialism as Nigeria’s ideological way out of her postcolonial national morass. Democratic socialism is a unique ideology. For democratic socialists, capitalism cannot be trusted to guarantee essential freedom and equality. Hence, there is the need for the state to interfere in the economy while also facilitating political and economic democracy. Awolowo’s brand of democratic socialism is even more unique. He advocates a limited form of social or public ownership of resources and a decentralized system that permits limited central government. This fits into his understanding of the plural nature of the Nigerian state and the significance of a federal system that allows the federating regions and states to develop at their own pace. The state and its federating units must however facilitate state-led infrastructural development that channels the state’s resources into education and others. A good ideology requires a mouthpiece that could stand as a critical intermediary between the state and the society, and between the government and the governed. The Nigerian Tribune, within Awolowo’s governance and political vision, was supposed to constitute a gadfly that continually and consistently sting the government of the day into incessant awareness of its responsibility to the masses. Awolowo was convinced of the relevance of his ideological predisposition for the political well-being of the Nigerian state, and so he was determined to pursue that ideological imperative through the establishment of a privately owned newspaper as a platform for disseminating the elements of democratic socialism, critique consecutive governments on their many governance deviations, and keep alive the challenge of making life meaningful for Nigerians. Of course, we cannot turn a blind eye to the immediate reason that led to the establishment of the Nigerian Tribune—a reactive development that sought to counteract Nnamdi Azikiwe’s West African Pilot and its ethnic triumphalism. That was the prerogative of Awolowo and the rest of the Yoruba political class, to undermine the self-righteous pursuit of Igbo nationalism by Azikiwe. However, it was not only Azikiwe that suffered the untoward consequences of a devastating critical pen. The Tribune was also deployed in the internal rivalry between Awolowo and S. L. Akintola, Awolowo’s nemesis in the Western Region. The unfortunate result is the role that the newspaper played in stoking the fire that conflagrated the region. But the Awolowo-Akintola could also be seen from an ideological perspective, the conflict between democratic socialism and the capitalist path favored by Akintola. And it would seem that Awolowo won out because he understood the power of the media, and Tribune not only constructed Awolowo as he wanted to be constructed, but also constructed the ideological reality he wanted Nigeria to adopt for betterment of the people. The Tribune’s metamorphosis over the years is a testament to its sturdy resilience and a self-reflexive capacity to keep rethinking its objectives within the context and challenges in time and space. While other competitors of a bygone era had been swept under the carpet of history, the Tribune has nestled itself into relevance through a consistent articulation of the relevance of Awolowo’s nationalist call for a responsible government with an ideological vision for making Nigeria work for Nigerians, thus conferring on it the remarkable garland of being Nigeria’s oldest privately-owned newspaper. And that essentially is its own legacy especially in a generation that is technology-driven and social media focused. The influence of the social media today speaks to a form of epistemological relativism that challenges the significance of truth. The social media fragments reality in a way that has implications for journalism. Now, everyone with a phone and internet-access can report any news from any angle and perspective. The sensational rated by virality has obliterated the objective. The critical question is how do we begin to understand journalism in a context of postcolonial political predicament and in a post-truth world? Can journalism afford to be dragged into the turbulence of post-truth reporting? While not discountenancing the significance of social media as a platform for resistance and political mobilization, we cannot also ignore its capacity for the fragmentation of fact and the capacity to sensationalize truth. When we situate journalism between the ethical responsibility to mediate influence and facilitate action, then we immediately see how journalism is conjoined to ethics; indeed, we see how journalism that lacks ethics becomes a dangerous handmaid of a post-truth world. We begin to see the dire challenges of reporting the facts within a postcolonial context like Nigeria where facts are sacrosanct to the determination of the well-being of Nigerians and the forging of a strong nation. Outside of an ethical responsibility to gatekeep journalism, what happened as the crisis of the Western Region becomes almost inevitable in a state experimenting with democratic governance and needing an ethical journalism to make sense of it. This is where it makes sense to locate the future prospects of the Nigerian Tribune in contemporary Nigeria. To overcome its sordid past and consolidate its current achievements, the Tribune must situate itself at the forefront of ethical journalism that keeps alight the ideological underpinning of the role that journalism can play in articulating the imperatives of democratic governance, the challenges of serving as a watchdog that consistently put democracy under vigilance, and the necessities of gatekeeping the professional ethic of patriotic journalism. Henry Anatole Grunwald, former United States ambassador to Austria, aptly sums the dilemma of journalism in today’s world: “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.” Traversing the line between virtue and vice, for journalism in Nigeria today, demands a significant reflection on the governance structure of any newspaper. In its contemporary iteration, the Nigerian Tribune seems to have hit upon a critical understanding of staffing eminent personalities, from academics and scholars to astute journalists and editors with the acumen for excellence. It is to the governance structure one must then look for a consistent objective that navigate the terrible terrain of politics with an ethical compass and the standard of objectivity. This is both the legacy that the Nigerian Tribune has left for print journalism in Nigeria, and the responsibility it must keep shouldering to uphold its service to democracy. *Prof. Tunji Olaopa is the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Abuja tolaopa2003@gmail.com
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Monthly shopping event Katy Market Day ends after decades-long runPHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title by routing the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 on Sunday. Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s mostly meaningless regular-season finale to top Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. The Eagles led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of the concussed Jalen Hurts. Tanner McKee, a career third-stringer, entered the game and the Eagles finished the drive with a field goal. McKee later threw two TD passes, a 20-yarder to A.J. Brown and a 25-yarder to DeVonta Smith, in front of a roaring crowd delighted to watch the Eagles dominate their fiercest rival to wrap up the division title and at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Hurts was injured in last week’s loss at Washington and remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol — he didn’t practice all week — which opened the door for Pickett to start. VIKINGS 27, PACKERS 25: Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as host Minnesota hung on to beat Green Bay for its ninth consecutive victory, putting the V Vikings one win from the NFC’s top seed for the playoffs. Darnold hit Jalen Nailor, Jordan Addison and Cam Akers for scores to raise his passing touchdown total to 35, the fourth-most in NFL history by a player in his debut season with a team. The Vikings set up a final-week showdown in Detroit for both the NFC North title and the first-round-bye-plus-home-field-advantage package that comes with the best record in the conference. Jordan Love’s only touchdown pass for the Packers came with 2:18 left, a 3-yard toss to Malik Heath that trimmed their deficit to two points and reignited the “Go Pack Go!” chants from the green-clad fans mixed in among the purple in another classic edition of this divisional rivalry. BUCCANEERS 48, PANTHERS 14: Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns to help Tampa Bay keep its division title and playoff hopes alive with a home blowout over Carolina. Tampa Bay’s fifth win in the past six weeks nudged the first-place Bucs a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the best record in the NFC South, with the Falcons set to play on the road later Sunday night at Washington. Atlanta holds the tiebreaker in the division race and can end Tampa Bay’s three-year reign as NFC South champions by beating the Commanders and winning again next week at home against the last-place Panthers. Mayfield threw TD passes of 2 and 1 yards to Mike Evans, and Tampa Bay produced points on five straight possessions to build a 27-7 lead. Jalen McMillan scored on receptions of 10 and 16 yards, linebacker J.J. Russell returned a blocked punt for a TD, and rookie Bucky Irving had another big game against Carolina with 120 yards rushing on 20 carries and four receptions for 77 yards. GIANTS 45, COLTS 33: New York snapped a franchise-record 10-game losing streak and ended Indianapolis’ slim playoff hopes as Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another. New York earned its first home win of the season and it no longer has control of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Lock sandwiched touchdown passes of 31 and 59 yards to Malik Nabers around TD passes of 32 yards to Darius Slayton and 5 yards to Wan’Dale Robinson in leading the Giants to their first win since beating Seattle on Oct. 6. RAIDERS 25, SAINTS 10: Aidan O’Connell passed for two touchdowns, tight end Brock Bowers broke two rookie NFL records, and Las Vegas won for just the fourth time this season, beating struggling New Orleans at the Superdome. Ameer Abdullah rushed for 115 yards for the Raiders — the journeyman running back’s first 100-yard game in his 10 NFL seasons. BILLS 40, JETS 14: Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and host Buffalo clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a rout of unraveling New York. The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. JAGUARS 20, TITANS 13: Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including one to standout rookie Brian Thomas Jr., and host Jacksonville beat Tennessee in the rain to sweep the season series for the fourth time in 30 years. Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, with most of them going to Thomas. The first-round draft pick from LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. His 11-yard TD catch with 7:05 remaining gave him his eighth game with at least 60 yards and a score, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most by a rookie in NFL history. DOLPHINS 20, BROWNS 3: Tyler Huntley scrambled for a touchdown and threw for one while starting for Tua Tagovailoa, and Miami stayed in the playoff race heading into its season finale with a road victory over Cleveland. Miami needs to win next weekend at the New York Jets and hope the Denver Broncos lose at home to Kansas City to get a wild-card berth. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and many of the top-seeded Chiefs’ starters are expected to rest. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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Gettman kicks go-ahead FG as Villanova ends Delaware's FCS-era with a 38-28 win in finaleBoise State's legacy includes winning coaches and championship moments