From Fighting Forgery to Shielding It: A Sad Shame

By Ndon-Eyo2 Reporter Ndon-Eyo II Etinan.



At the forefront of that fearless journalism was Bayo Onanuga, then Editor-in-Chief of The News. His work symbolized the power of the press to hold even the highest public officials accountable.


From Fighting Forgery to Shielding It: A Sad Shame

By Michael Ogueke
michaelogueke@gmail.com


On June 3, 1999, Nigeria witnessed a defining moment in the fight for political integrity. The then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ibrahim Salisu Buhari, was convicted of forgery and perjury by an Abuja magistrate court after confessing to lying under oath. He had falsified his age—claiming to be 36 when he was just 29—and submitted forged certificates from Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Toronto, and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). 


This scandal would have remained hidden if not for the courageous work of The News magazine, whose bombshell report titled “The Face of a Liar” blew the lid open. Buhari responded by suing the magazine for ₦500 million. But when The News stood by its story and public outrage surged, Buhari had no choice but to resign. A year later, in June 2000, President Obasanjo granted him a presidential pardon.

At the forefront of that fearless journalism was Bayo Onanuga, then Editor-in-Chief of The News. His work symbolized the power of the press to hold even the highest public officials accountable.

Fast-forward to today, and the irony is too loud to ignore. That same Bayo Onanuga now serves as Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu. Yet, under this administration, the media—especially the once-vibrant Lagos-Ibadan press axis—has fallen disturbingly silent.

Gone are the days when newspapers held politicians' feet to the fire. Now, gross misconduct, forgery, and blatant impunity are met with indifference. Allegations surrounding high-profile figures like Nyesom Wike and Godswill Akpabio are swept under the rug without scrutiny or consequence. Transparency is dead, and the watchdogs of democracy are now lapdogs in the corridors of power.

How did we go from The Face of a Liar to The Silence of the Press?

The press, once a guardian of truth and public accountability, has lost its moral compass. And those who once risked it all to expose corruption now sit in comfort, watching as the same vices they fought against metastasize unchecked.


What a fall from grace.
What a sad shame indeed 

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