Seun Okinbaloye And The Burden Of Broadcast Integrity

Seun Okinbaloye And The Burden Of Broadcast Integrity

Seun Okinbaloye of Channels TV is a brilliant mind and a passionate broadcaster who speaks with a fervor that seems to rise from every fiber of his being. His courtesy toward guests is commendable, especially in an era where combative interviewing often masquerades as journalistic rigor. Yet brilliance and passion must be tempered by precision and fairness—especially when one occupies a national platform.

Here are a few recurring claims Seun has made that warrant scrutiny:

1. “Buhari gone with his 12 million votes.”

This is misleading. Buhari’s consistent northern support base—often referred to as the “12 million bloc”—was built and sustained over four election cycles, not a personal inheritance to be buried. In fact, in 2007, Buhari secured 6.6 million votes in the North while contesting against fellow Northerner Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who garnered 14.6 million votes. Yar’Adua later admitted the election was flawed and initiated electoral reforms. The real question is: who now commands that loyalty? The votes remain in the electorate, not the grave.

2. “Peter Obi beat Tinubu silly in Lagos.”

Obi won Lagos in 2023 with 582,454 votes to Tinubu’s 572,606—a margin of 9,848 votes (0.77 percent). But to say he “beat Tinubu silly” is hyperbole. Tinubu won 11 of the 20 LGAs; Obi won nine. Precision matters, especially in electoral analysis. Moreover, Obi’s later “religious war” remark—alongside other missteps—may have alienated some supporters, dimming the liberator image they once embraced.

3. The “Tsunami” of opposition in 2027.

Seun often speaks animatedly about a coming political tsunami. Such language veers into conjecture. Nigerian politicians are incurable optimists—many can sell snow to Eskimos. Journalists must distinguish between political theatre and plausible forecasts.

4. Blaming Tinubu exclusively for Nigeria’s economic woes.

This narrative ignores context. Tinubu inherited:

– $4 billion in forex reserves

– $7 billion in unmet obligations

– ₦30 trillion Ways and Means debt

– A debt servicing burden consuming 96% of government revenue

Since then:

– Forex reserves have climbed toward $40 billion

– Oil production rose from under 1 mbpd to 1.8 mbpd

– $14 billion in national debt and $7 billion in forex obligations have been cleared

– GDP grew 3.13 percent in Q1 2025, with a 7 percent growth target by 2027

– Nigeria posted a positive trade balance for the first time in decades

– Record counter-terrorism operations

– Governors in Abia, Enugu, Zamfara and beyond revived long-abandoned projects without new borrowing, thanks to federal reforms

True, these reforms have exacerbated cost-of-living strains, but they were inevitable to avert a descent into crises resembling Venezuela or Zimbabwe. Today, the government declares the economy “out of the woods,” and institutions like the IMF and World Bank have affirmed significant progress. The debt servicing ratio has dropped to 67%, freeing up resources for national development. Broadcasters must acknowledge these gains instead of dredging alarmist negativity in perpetuity.

Moreover, Channels TV itself has modeled the noble role a newsroom can play in nation-building. By convening a special town hall on the tax reform bills—featuring Taiwo Oyedele and Yakubu Dogara—it demonstrated how to move beyond armchair criticism, prioritize national interest over commercialization, and verify claims on the ground.

When the public discovers that the media have misled them, trust erodes—and the gulf between broadcasters and viewers widens dangerously. Channels TV must choose: to be a station of record or a megaphone for bias.