By Samuel Oduyela
One of the most essential responsibilities of a journalist is a commitment to the truth—reporting facts with accuracy, balance, and integrity.
When journalists begin to peddle unverified allegations, they cross the line from credible reporting into the realm of conspiracy theories. This is where we must draw a clear line.
Accusing someone of being funded by foreign intelligence without
evidence is irresponsible. It’s particularly troubling to see a reporter
sharing the video of Scot Perry, a MAGA Republican claiming that the
U.S. government used USAID to finance Boko Haram in Nigeria, especially
given that the U.S. has worked to secure some of the Chibok girls. Scot
Perry never produced any evidence, but this reporter ran with the video
and shared it without any further investigation to corroborate Perry’s
claim.
This is bogus and ludicrous.
Take the case of Omoyele Sowore, for example. Like Premium Times, The Cable, and This Day, his media platform received grant funding from the MacArthur Foundation to support anti-corruption journalism in Nigeria—a move recommended by former EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu.
Sowore reportedly received $600,000 to establish a media hub in Ikeja, while The Premium, The Cable, a journalist from This Day and Sowore shared another $5m grant from Mac Arthur Foundation.
This gesture, according to Magu was tagged as a collaboration between civil society and watchdog media to help EFCC expose corruption. It was evident that during Magu’s time, The Premium Times, The Cable, This Day and Sahara Reporters were the only media outfits publishing exclusive stories from EFCC.
However, when Magu came under investigation, these same outlets curiously remained silent—a troubling case of editorial bias, but not proof of espionage or foreign intelligence activity.
Branding MacArthur Foundation grants or USAID-funded initiatives as covert government operations is intellectually lazy and strategically dishonest. If indeed there was a hidden agenda under Obama or Biden, why didn’t a Republican-led Congress launch investigations during Trump’s administration? Why wasn’t it a campaign issue in 2016 or 2020?
Let’s also consider the credibility of the sources making these claims. One such voice has alleged that the Chinese government offered him to attack Aliko Dangote’s reputation—an assertion so implausible that it insults our collective intelligence. China’s intelligence apparatus is far more sophisticated than to outsource propaganda to internet personalities with no verifiable reach or influence.
Similarly, Rep. Scott Perry’s recent remarks on USAID and Boko Haram—echoed after Elon Musk’s fallout with the agency—lack historical context. Perry was in Congress throughout the Obama, Trump, and now Biden years. If this accusation had merit, why raise it now? Especially given that Perry himself is an election denier whose actions in the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. elections are under scrutiny.
It’s not just about disagreeing with someone. It’s about being intellectually honest. Sowore’s political affiliations and electoral performance are fair topics for critique, Yes, he was once an Atiku man and it was rumoured that the law firm that represented him in one of his depositions was paid for by Atiku, he was Ribadu’s friend and El Rufai so also was a fact that he supported Buhari in the 2015 elections, but wild claims that he works for the U.S. government demand more than YouTube speculation and WhatsApp gossip. What role? In what capacity? For what purpose? Sowore did not even win up to 200,000 votes in the election he ran as Presidential candidate.
I encourage us to think critically, question narratives, and always demand evidence before drawing conclusions. We can and should critique public figures—but let’s do so with facts, not with fictions brewed in pepper soup joints or trending hashtags devoid of substance.
Just minding my business… but also minding the truth.
Samuel Oduyela, is Communication Professor | Media Literacy Advocate in US.
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