Well, finally Buhari succeeded in another angle in his ongoing fight againts Nigeria's very existence by sustaining pressure on Media Trust company until they discontinued "Notes from Atlanta" column of US-based professor Farooq Kperogi which is one the most critical column of Buhari's crass incompetence

Presidency Pressured Daily Trust to Stop my Saturday Column

By Farooq Kperogi

I had chosen to let this issue slide because it’s frankly of no consequence, in my opinion, but I’ve been deluged with a relentless stream of inquiries from readers asking why my “Notes from Atlanta” column has been discontinued in the Daily Trust on Saturday. Since it’s practically impossible to respond to all the email and social media inquires, I’ve decided to put up this update.

Every rational, perceptive observer knows that the Buhari presidency is in a desperate, panic mode now. They are arresting and jailing critics, freezing bank accounts of opponents, bribing journalists silly to buy favorable coverage, threatening media houses, and working to go pull down the entire nation because they know their game is up.

That’s the general context for the discontinuation of my column in the Daily Trust. As people who have followed my Saturday column know, I am an inconvenient thorn in the flesh of the Buhari regime. I expose their lies, hypocrisy, clannishness, and incompetence with a regularity that unnerves them.

Predictably, the Buhari presidency had worked to take down my column since at least 2016. Media Trust’s chairman, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, told me, as early as mid-2016, that he had been under tremendous pressure because of my column and wondered what kind of pressure I had been under myself. But he said I shouldn’t be intimidated. He called me the “conscience of the nation,” which I found rather flattering. When he visited the US in, I think, 2017, he called me and we spoke at length. Again, he told me he had my back and appreciated the diversity I brought to the opinion menu in the Daily Trust.

Malam Kabiru hired me as a reporter in the then Weekly Trust in 1998 on the recommendation of his childhood friend, Professor Attahiru Jega. He is someone I’ve come to reserve the greatest respect for. He is an uncommonly urbane, suave, cosmopolitan, and tolerant person. He fits the classic definition of a liberal—broadminded, progressive, intellectually sophisticated, charitable, and open-minded. So I wasn’t surprised when he encouraged me to continue with my critical commentaries on the Buhari regime in spite of the pressures the commentaries were bringing on him and on Media Trust, Daily Trust’s parent company.


But Kabiru isn’t the sole owner of Media Trust; he is only the majority shareholder and chairman of the company. Most importantly, though, the company has to survive, and government advertising is the lifeblood of the news media in Nigeria. Government can shut down a news media organization by asking all its agencies to withhold advertising patronage from it. I sensed that the Buhari regime had threatened Daily Trust with advertising patronage withdrawal when the Editor-in-Chief and MD of the paper, since 2017, uncharacteristically started to send out periodic memos to columnists to importune them to tone down their language. I’ve written my column for more than 13 years and have always had a vigorous style. At no other time had the E-I-C ever written a memo to columnists to tell them how to write. The E-I-C/MD was frank enough to admit to me that I was the target of the memos.

But I was infinitely harsher on Jonathan and Obasanjo than I’ve been on Buhari, but neither I nor any columnist was ever told how to write and what not to write during the Jonathan and Obasanjo administrations.

Then at least once, the editor of the Saturday paper pleaded with me—nicely, I should add—to take out a sentence or two in a column in order to avoid “libel.” He obviously knows nothing about libel, which I not only formally studied at undergraduate and graduate levels in Nigeria and the US, but also teach and research for a living. (It’s not his fault since he didn’t study journalism). Finally, he once refused to publish one of my columns where I questioned the genuineness of Buhari’s WASC.

In media law, a statement of opinion can’t be libelous; only statements of facts can be. In any case, I had had occasions in the past to question the genuineness of Goodluck Jonathan’s PhD, and the editor didn’t have any issue with that. (I wrote another column after I discovered that Jonathan’s PhD was genuine based on my private investigation.)

So when Daily Trust’s E-I-C and MD called me on December 13 to say that the “board” had met and decided that my Saturday column should be discontinued because of my critical articles on Buhari (yes, he was that frank), I wasn’t surprised. I saw it coming. He was courteous, respectful, and honest about it, which is admirable. I had been expecting it, given how increasingly desperate and intolerant the Buhari regime has become lately. The regime is using their power of advertising patronage to whip independent media houses into line. Daily Trust can't afford to lose its bottom line because of one column. I understand and support that. On my part, I can't afford to self-censor because of a company's bottom line. So the "divorce" serves both of us well. I asked the E-I-C/MD two questions before we hung up. I asked if I had ever written anything on Buhari that was factually inaccurate. He said “no.” Then I asked if I had ever written anything on Buhari that was libelous and he said “no.” That was good enough for me. In any case, the column now appears on the back page of the Nigerian Tribune on Saturday. It’s also published on my blog. So it’s pointless censorship.

People have asked if my grammar column will continue in the Sunday edition of Daily Trust. No, it won’t. The energy I put into the grammar column has been taking a toll on my research and my family. This is a good opportunity to stop it and get some relief. I might resume it with another paper in the future.

https://web.facebook.com/farooqkperogi/posts/10103551978229430

Predictably, the Buhari presidency had worked to take down my column since at least 2016 he said...

Yaaaaaaawwwwnnnn!
Even criminals and children of hate that have said more trash and demeaning words about the President more than you did, Baba ignored them all.
You will be wiser with your job after this time.
Wailing wailer!

TheGreenLand:
Predictably, the Buhari presidency had worked to take down my column since at least 2016.

Yaaaaaaawwwwnnnn!
Even criminals and children that have said more trash and demeaning words about him more than you did, Baba ignored them all.
You will be more wise after this time.
Wailing wailer!

gerrara here bro... Go somewhere else

stephenmorris:
gerrara here bro... Go somewhere else

Chai!
E pain dis one die!
Doh.
Sorry for your pain o!

I should get out of Nairaland?
Cos Na your village people get am!
Wonders shall never cease o!!

capatainrambo:
you don't have sense at All at all

I just saw this image below on the profile pic of the OP of this thread.
It actually came in handy and apt for captainrambo (he can't even spell his name!)

We will share and publish it for free on Nairaland and all blogs and social mediums for free hence forth ...I have a lot of respect for Farook He is indeed a man of integrity

FarahAideed:
We will share an publish it for free on Nairaland and all blogs and social mediums for free hence forth ...I have a lot of respect for Farook He is indeed a man of integrity

it's a shame. what both buhari zombies & the children of the boudillon drug lord wants to turn nigeria to


it's a shame useless fatherless zombies still support them






very sane person including the first lady has come Out to say buharis govt is thrash. here again Dr farouk kperogi is still repeating it. But these vile children of hate will attack them.

cyber terrorists

Wailers have taken over.....
Una go tire lass lass against all your propaganda and lies....
Wake up pleaseeee

TheGreenLand:

Chai!
E pain dis one die!
Doh.
Sorry for your pain o!

I should get out of Nairaland?
Cos I am disturbing his!
Wonders shall never cease o!!

What's with the meme?

TheGreenLand:

I just saw this image below on the profile pic of the OP of this thread.
It actually came in handy and apt for captainrambo (he can't even spell his name!)

shut up. I don't play with zombies

Rubbish. While still in office, Fayose ranted and wailed for four years without getting any response from the president, but this inconsequential prof. thinks he’s so important that Buhari would waste time pursuing the banning of his unpopular column. Silly attention seeking wailer.

stephenmorris:
gerrara here bro... Go somewhere else

oya no cry, go collect 500NGN from obliar

FarahAideed:
We will share an publish it for free on Nairaland and all blogs and social mediums for free hence forth ...I have a lot of respect for Farook He is indeed a man of integrity

The guy is an awesome writer i must say

capatainrambo:
shut up. I don't play with zombies

For the wailing zombie.
Again......

Stalwert:

oya no cry, go collect 500NGN from obi

Lol .
Thanks for the heads up bro.
Cheers!

Wailing in a new dimension.
SAI BABA till we say 'Thanks for coming Sir'.
The haters and children of hate are all in pains.

kunleweb:



The guy is an awesome writer i must say

A really good writer and the best thing is that he is not a hypocrite

TheGreenLand:
Wailing in a new dimension.
SAI BABA till we say thanks for coming Sir.
The haters and children of hate are all in pains.

god punish jubrin/ saibaba whaterver

CilicMarin:
Good decision by Daily Trust Newspapers....You cant just give out your column for a PDP useless hate monegering idiot to be spweing hate speech in the name working for the opposition....

May God Punish Kparoog abi wetin be him name again...


God Bless Muhammadu Buhari..

Amen.
God bless you too.

capatainrambo:
god punish jubrin/ saibaba whaterver

Sorry now!
This wailing is too much for you alone o!
Call your other members to help you wail along small!
A fine boy like you!
Oya stop crying.
Take this handkerchief and wipe your running nose fine boy
Ehya....
Sorry fine bobo

CilicMarin:
Good decision by Daily Trust Newspapers....You cant just give out your column for a PDP useless hate monegering idiot to be spweing hate speech in the name working for the opposition....

May God Punish Kparoog abi wetin be him name again...


God Bless Muhammadu Buhari..

When he wrote against Jonathan he was not PDP shei?

This only happens when a tyrannt is on seat-always intolerant of any opinion that will not glorify their tyranny.Army asking AI, UNICEF to vacate Nigeria

The days of the infamous Decree-2 of 1984-85, IBB & Abacha era are back but it will also pass.

[s]

Racoon:
This only happens when a tyrannt is on seat-always intolerant of any opinion that will not glorify their tyranny.Army asking AI, UNICEF to vacate Nigeria

The days of the infamous Decree-2 of 1984-85, IBB & Abacha era is back but it will also pass.

[/s]


Sings
It seems llike gonna cry

Oh why?
He hasn't eaten all day

And there is no way to stop his tears flowing oh yeah.

When the tears start pumping then the tears start flowing.


That's how you know

How you know wailer is talking to you



When the tears start pumping then the tears start flowing.


That's how you know

How you know wailer is talking to you

It's like a wailucane like wailucane

The way you cry on everything good X2

FarahAideed:


A really good writer and the best thing is that he is not a hypocrite

I agree. Just.almost.like junaid mohammed. Tanko yakassai has been bought over thougj he started well before

If only d time and effort dissipated by this intolerant govt in gagging free press is channelled into constructive governance we would have made a lot of progress.

CilicMarin:
Good decision by Daily Trust Newspapers....You cant just give out your column for a PDP useless hate monegering idiot to be spweing hate speech in the name working for the opposition....

May God Punish Kparoog abi wetin be him name again...

God Bless Muhammadu Buhari..

Patriotism should be separated from asslicking. Until Daily Trust refutes his claims, this is a very dangerous threat to democracy. Your god and father - BUHARI will surely leave office someday and which ARCHANGEL or SAINT will he hand over power to from your RIGHTEOUS PARTY (that's assuming your party continues to win elections).

Thank God the writer admitted that he was harsher to Jonathan and such didn't happen under the 'very corrupt Jonathan regime'
What is Saint Buhari trying to hide?
Or maybe it is the handiwork of the TWO KIDNAPPERS THAT HIJACKED THE PRESIDENT.

seunmsg:
Rubbish. While still in office, Fayose ranted and wailed for four years without getting any response from the president, but this inconsequential prof. thinks he’s so important that Buhari would waste time pursuing the banning of his unpopular column. Silly attention seeking wailer.

Fayose was 'toutish' in his approach and many people didn't take him seriously. Secondly, he had immunity. Make he do phim now.