A Nightmare I Don’t Want to Relive’: Onanuga Recalls Press Freedom Fight Under Abacha
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, has reflected on his 1994 recognition as the first African to receive the Lord Astor Award for Press Freedom from the Commonwealth Press Union.
In a post shared on Friday, Onanuga said the award was presented at the Commonwealth Press Union conference in Malta during a time he described as a nightmare for journalism in Nigeria.
“I re-read my speech at the Commonwealth Press Union conference in November 1994 in Malta, where I was honoured with the Lord Astor Award. I was the first and only African to earn the award for my work, along with my colleagues in The News/PM News and TEMPO, in fighting for democracy, the restoration of the June 12 mandate and press freedom,” Onanuga wrote.
The recognition came at the height of military rule under Sani Abacha, when journalists and activists were pushing for the actualisation of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election — widely believed to have been won by the late MKO Abiola.
Onanuga noted that the award recognised his efforts in “upholding the truth during one of the nation’s darkest political chapters.”
He expressed gratitude to Temitope Olawale for retrieving the 31-year-old report and to Ayo Oyalowo, whom he described as “the Godfather,” for bringing the article to his attention.
“Journalism practice in Nigeria in the 80s and 90s was a nightmare, which I don’t want to relive again, even in my next incarnation,” he added.
