PRESS, PRINCIPLES & A MULTI-ETHNIC NATION: SENATOR MOHAMMED LAYS DOWN THE GAUNTLET

PRESS, PRINCIPLES & A MULTI-ETHNIC NATION: SENATOR MOHAMMED LAYS DOWN THE GAUNTLET

If Nigeria’s future depends on the courage and integrity of its journalists, Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed just raised the bar—and the stakes.
Senator Bala Mohammed delivered a stirring challenge at the 3rd Lateef Jakande Memorial Lecture, spotlighting the essential role journalism must play in knitting together Nigeria’s multi-ethnic fabric. Praising the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande as a gold standard of integrity and selfless service, Mohammed linked Nigeria’s hard-won independence and democracy to the bold, truth-telling press icons like Nnamdi Azikiwe and Herbert Macaulay, whose words fired up the quest for nationhood.
“The struggle for Nigeria’s freedom and unity was written in ink—by journalists who refused to be cowed,” Mohammed reminded the audience.
But the Senator didn’t sugarcoat today’s challenges. He warned that misinformation, digital distortion, undue money influence, and compromised ethics are threatening the press from within and without. Echoing Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, he argued that when bias tied to tribe or religion rules, “education and exposure become pointless.”
Instead, Mohammed called for a fearless, nation-building journalism—one that shuns parochial interests for merit and shared values. Citing Bauchi State’s own strides in inclusive governance as proof that peaceful coexistence is possible, he urged the Nigerian press to lead by example. He proceeded to lay out what he described as
five urgent tasks for journalists. These were defending the rule of law, demanding credible leadership, championing national reconciliation, promoting civic education and language inclusion, as well as cleaning up the media’s own house to keep public trust
Senator Mohammed’s call to action? Journalists must wield their pens not for profit or power, but for Nigeria’s future—building “schools, homes, hope and unity.” In his words, the survival of the nation may just depend on the press remaining “the last men and women standing.”

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