The debate around Rufai Oseni’s interview style on Arise TV has once again stirred conversation about what journalism should look like in modern Nigeria. Some have accused him of being “provocative,” while others defend him as firm, fearless, and necessary. Beneath this disagreement lies a larger question — is passionate questioning unprofessional, or is it precisely what our democracy needs?
1. Context Determines Conduct
To judge Nigerian journalists solely by Western rulebooks — whether the BBC, Reuters, or the Associated Press — is to misunderstand our context. Journalism, like language, reflects its environment. What passes for confrontation in London might simply be accountability in Lagos.
When Rufai Oseni insists on straight answers, he does so in a media landscape where evasion has long been normalized and where power rarely submits itself to scrutiny. In such an environment, firmness is not aggression — it is service to the public.
2. Provocation or Passion?
We must separate provocation from passion. Provocation seeks conflict for entertainment; passion seeks truth for enlightenment. Many Nigerians resonate with Oseni’s tone because it mirrors their frustration with evasive governance and their yearning for real accountability.
A journalist’s duty is not to make the powerful comfortable but to make them clear. Ethics demand fairness, not fragility.
3. The Ethics of Urgency
Western media ethics evolved in systems where institutions are stable and data flows freely. In Nigeria, where transparency is often the exception, journalists sometimes become the only real interrogators of power. If a raised voice becomes necessary to cut through rehearsed talking points, it is not a breach of ethics — it is a reflection of national urgency.
4. When Visibility Serves Purpose
It is easy to quote “The journalist is not the story.” But visibility is not vanity when the journalist becomes a symbol of independence in a space often compromised by political patronage. Rufai Oseni’s assertive questioning has restored public confidence that Nigerian journalism can still challenge power rather than echo it.
5. Global Parallels in Tough Journalism
Around the world, great interviewers are defined by their persistence.
• Jeremy Paxman asked a minister the same question twelve times.
• Tim Sebastian of HARDtalk routinely interrupts evasive guests.
• Jake Tapper of CNN and Chris Wallace of Fox News press relentlessly for clarity.
Their intensity is admired as professionalism, not impoliteness. Why, then, should Nigerian journalists be condemned for the same energy?
6. Journalism Is Conversation, Not Ceremony
The ideal interview is not a tea party. It is an exchange where the public’s right to know supersedes a guest’s comfort. So long as a journalist remains factual, accurate, and fair, tone becomes a matter of style. The truth often requires tension before it yields clarity.
7. Beyond Politeness, Toward Purpose
Civility is important, but civility without courage becomes complicity. Journalism is not about protecting feelings; it is about protecting facts. The audience deserves information, not choreography.
Rufai Oseni’s intensity is not the enemy of journalism — indifference is. A press that fears passion will never hold power to account.
Conclusion
Nigeria does not need journalists who whisper truth to power; it needs journalists who insist on it.
If passion, persistence, and principled confrontation are what it takes to make public officials answer questions honestly, then that is not a deviation from journalism — it is its truest form.
Kunle Odusola-Stevenson
(Public Affairs Analyst & Media Commentator)