SOWORE AND SAHARA REPORTERS: In one of the most prominent work of William Shakespeare titled MACHBETH, the main character was Macbeth himself, Thane of Glamis, a brave Scottish general in King Duncan’s army. Riding on excessive ambition upon prediction that he would one day be King of Scotland, murdered King Duncan, twisted fate and had to live by the grave consequences of overzealousness.

Omoyele Sowore was a product of the struggle of June 12 during the brutal annulment of the most peaceful poll ever held in the democratic history of Nigeria. Sahara Reporters was one of the instruments deployed towards actualisation of the peoples’ mandate given to the late Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola in 1993. This media instrument was placed in Omoyele’s hand, and has since thrived to outlive other notable media tools then such as The Tempo Magazine, The Razor Magazine, TELL Magazine, Radio Kudirat and a host of others.

Given this background, Omoyele Sowore got one of the most powerful tools in the 21st century power play – the media platform. As good as it was, this media platform, Sahara Reporters, would have become one of the most prominently respected source by Nigerians if it stood to be a fair and unbiased news platform.

Ideally, nothing is wrong with Sowore for owning and controlling Sahara Reporters as a media tool, but everything soon got wrong because of Omoyele’s unbridled desire for commerce, using media tool as an advantage to launch attack on vulnerable political icons in the country. As a matter of fact, in the word of Barton Gellman, “Scott-Ritter is a very well-known archetype of a certain U.S. military officer. Very hard talking, very ambitious, zealous, and completely consumed with carrying out his mission. He’s a guy who, throughout his career, I would say, did not break rules, but he worked around road blocks”. That was Omoyele Sowore aptly described.

It is difficult to separate Omoyele Sowore who is an ambitious comrade from Sahara Reporters that is a media platform. His attack on the government of Muhammadu Buhari in the name of REVOLUTION NOW was the height of his political miscalculation. He is living on bail under the trial of a court. But I guess he still manages to use his media instrument to negotiate costs with politicians and unleash his media blows on whoever is not on his clients’ list.

Omoyele Sowore was also in the habit of eating his cakes and wanting to have them; a politician can pay bills repeatedly to get Sahara Reporters deliver same service previously negotiated on a single term – the reason why the Kwara power lord will never recommend Sowore or Sahara Reporters to even his enemy. For politicians who can go by the way of advance payment upon assumption of office, you are sure to escape being hit by Sahara Reporters’ arrow while in office.

When media tool becomes instrument that can be deployed by highest bidder or an associate, it loses values fast. In a more critical society, Shara Reporters is nothing but an online platform that is a charade, sham, fake, travesty and a mockery of media platform owned by a youthful political jobber.

Sowore wanted to become President but lost. Constantly, he attacked the current administration but when it was obvious that Nigerians were not convinced by his political manifesto, he moved swiftly, using his media platform to propagate phoney revolutionary intent.

Nigerians are wiser. Sowore must have taken a job against the Lagos State Assembly Speaker given the constant jabs, sentimental reportage and unprofessional attacks by Sahara Reporters against its target despite awareness by the public on the cause of the internal imbroglio rocking the Lagos State parliament. This contract might be schemed at leadership of a political party in the state, knowing well that legislature is sensitive to the survival of Lagos State talking political and economic stances.

I am compelled to bear this opinion on the current media ruse and unprofessionalism being demonstrated by Sahara Reporters in the name of media frenzy. Integrity is the core prerequisite for media establishment in the communication world of today. We citizens have moral responsibilities to speak and balance the narratives if Sahara Reporters will not do its job diligently.

I think Sahara Reporters is on the verge of losing its credibility with government of the United States as it continues to play tools for destabilising government in Nigeria.

Sowore has advocated and led ‘violent seizure’ of an existing government, attempted to upturn a democratically elected regime and standing trial for that purpose. His offence can go as worse as answering to rebellion, uprising, mutiny or even insurgency, none of which was constitutionally pardonable nor morally acceptable to any democratically constituted government in power. His sins are more grievous offence against the state and stability of our dear country, yet no one is hitting him hard on the media pages. But I think he who lives in a glass house should be wary of throwing stones, lest he be fatally hit by stronger stones and metal.

Peoples’ cause cannot be driven by personal agenda like Sowore has attempted. He who would lead people must assume proven integrity devoid of personal scheming for power. He must be above board and must not be a sponsored agent to destabilize the polity.

The leadership of the ANC Youth wing in South Africa under Julius Malema pulled out of the ANC to form Economic Freedom Fighters in 2013, which is an ideological political party, mobilised his membership to contest massively into the legislative arm of government where they could have impactful drive on the polity; that was a great strategy of this century. The results were awesome as what started as a youth movement has today become a political factor to be reckoned with in South Africa’s political space till now. The power of change through legislative drive and people oriented policy influence will go a long way at achieving greater result any day.

Sowore has tactically made mess of the media importance of Sahara Reporters, and Nigerians must be called to awareness that greatest undoing will be to ride on the horse of a media tsunami in our fragile ethno-religious society with staggering political future. No one does a greater harm to the nation than he who physically plotted a revolution and scientifically distabilising the nation’s governance system for intended personal gains and political trading.

Dele Olumoju