OPINION: From NUJ President to Press Oppressor: Garba’s Fall

….Ganduje’s Era of Media Intimidation Revisited

As a Nigerian, I respect that everyone is entitled to their opinion, as guaranteed by the Constitution. However, the right to express an opinion does not include the license to distort facts or spread concocted falsehoods.

I was genuinely baffled when I read the news story published by The Sun Newspaper on November 4, 2025, titled “Ex-NUJ president, Garba, slams Kano govt on restrictive media space, validates WSCIJ report on press freedom in Kano” As a concerned indigene of Kano State who witnessed firsthand the Ganduje administration and its approach to governance, I find it deeply troubling how Muhammad Garba, Ganduje’s spokesperson and a former NUJ President, treated journalists and the media with utter disdain.

As a former NUJ President and Ganduje’s mouthpiece, he has no moral ground to lecture anyone on press freedom. His claims are easily debunked by the documented repression under his own tenure.

Under Garba’s watch as Commissioner for Information during Ganduje’s administration, constructive engagement was replaced with intimidation and censorship.

Journalists were arrested, harassed, and media houses were threatened for reporting on corruption and governance failures, Example: In 2019, Daily Nigerian publisher Jaafar Jaafar faced threats and police summons after releasing videos allegedly showing Ganduje receiving bribes.

Many People were arrested, prosecuted and put in prison custody under stringent conditions for expressing their opinion about Ganduje’s land racketeering and corruption saga notably among them was Abdulmajid Danbilki Commanda who was arrested buggled and brought to the court for exercising his constitutional rights.

Ironically, Garba now dismisses awards when his own principal never received much for media friendliness. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, on the other hand, has been recognized by almost every major national daily as one of the most media-friendly governors in Nigeria.

Although the Kano state Government already through a press conference rejected Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism’s reports describing it as mischievous, malicious and misleading

Public still don’t know the indices as well as methodology the center used to arrived at this conclusion. As a student of social sciences and humanity I learned a conclusion like this nature needs an verifiable and empirical data backed by statistics. Any conclusion beyond this stands to rejected and questionable from its entirety.

As Center for investigative journalism, it is very important not use imagination or what some people imagining to draw a conclusion.

It is on record that Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has received a multiple media awards including that of Nigeria Union Of Journalists, NUJ further testify that the Muhammad Garba is arm chair critic who is jealousy about the impressive performance of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf that ousted his master.

Governor Yusuf has demonstrates that engaging journalists openly, attending press events, and ensuring their welfare is a key societal development. That is why his activities received a large massive coverage across national dailies, online platforms and other platforms unlike Ganduje’s administration who was surrounded by Land racketeering, corruption, family affairs in Governance affairs and media intimidation.

As a two-term NUJ President, Garba should have been a defender of press freedom. Instead, he used the platform he benefited most to from grace to disgrace.
His current posture is not about defending journalism, it’s about politicizing a report to score cheap points against a government that has outshined his own in transparency and media engagement.

Governor Yusuf has been honored by multiple national newspapers for his openness and support for journalism. His administration has never used police or courts to harass journalists, contrary to Muhammad Garba’s insinuations.

The government has dismissed the WSCIJ report as unfounded, citing lack of evidence and reaffirming its commitment to press freedom.

Muhammad Garba’s statement is not only misleading, it’s a desperate attempt to distort history. As a concerned indigene of Kano State, you have every right to ask for this inconsistencies. The era of Ganduje was marked by repression; the era of Yusuf is marked by openness. Let the facts speak louder than Garba’s political spin.

Sani Isa Suleiman is a concerned citizen of Kano State