IPOB and Vanguard: Vanguard is now the undisputed face of corrupt journalism in Nigeria

By Tim Tochukwu

For Biafra Choice Writers

When Northern Nigerian Islamists conceived to restart their attempts to Islamize Southern Nigeria, especially Biafraland, part of what they did was to recruit some Southern elements and media houses in the mission.

Among those recruited were Vanguard Newspapers, Punch Newspapers; Then Nations; and others. Among them all, Vanguard Newspapers was chosen to play the pivotal role. The reason the newspaper house was chosen for that role was because it had acceptability and reach throughout Biafraland, which it achieved through its deliberate reportage of local and community news.

Another reason why it was chosen was because its owner was Biafran, Sam Amuka, who hails from Itshekiri in Delta State. They hoped he would use his contacts in the area to make impacts in their coming lies and deception to confuse international audience on the long-time acknowledged successes of Biafra restoration efforts internationally.

It is a known fact that Nigerian media outfits no longer survive on copy sales, or even adverts. They only survive on patronage from governments and politicians. This explains why majority of the owners today are politicians. This also explains why Amuka, an unscrupulous and rotten individual in terms of morals, who is married to a fetish wife, would easily jump at the offer.

The Northern Islamists did not stop with recruiting entire media houses. In places where they were unable to recruit the entire media ownership or editorial board for the mission, they endeavored and recruited pliable individuals. They got some across the media spectrum.

This was why Vanguard led the way in promoting the lies and deceptions. Announcing the split of Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) when there was none; Announcing the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) as negotiating on behalf of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and NDA, when nobody sent them; and also announcing the split of IPOB when no such thing took place.

This was why a supposedly national daily newspaper which should have an owner and editors that high on journalistic news instinct closed their minds to fictitious and senseless names like “Ikemba Biafra” and “Jonathan Kurubo” to pass their scrutiny as leaders of IPOB. Instructively, these were names of individuals without face or history. They obviously existed in the imagination of Amuka and his editors.

It is such messed up media situation in Nigeria that makes Biafra Choice Writers to conclude that foreigners who read Nigerian publications as basis for taking decisions on Biafra do so on faulty foundation.