By Kareen Goulding
We inhabit a media landscape where falsehoods are skillfully manipulated to masquerade as verifiable facts, unchecked propaganda is employed as a tool for character assassination, and opportunistic individuals like Jackson Ude, notorious for peddling fake news, resort to unscrupulous tactics such as blackmail, mischief, and propaganda to secure financial gain and satiate their self-interest.
These actions undermine the fundamental objective of effective communication, which is to convey accurate information and achieve a desired outcome based on verifiable facts. Instead, they create a false narrative and distorted history, perpetuating misinformation that is ingested as fact by an unsuspecting future generation.
Throughout human history, communication has played a vital role in shaping social existence, even in primitive societies. Consequently, it is essential to preserve the integrity and values of communication, ensuring that the information disseminated is accurate, unbiased, and serves the public good. This may involve exposing wrongdoing and promoting truthfulness, thereby maintaining the sanctity of communication.
A medium that inflicts harm, devastation, and provokes irate phone calls and libelous lawsuits is unlikely to endure. Ethical journalism is characterized by objectivity, fairness, factual accuracy, and a commitment to balancing facts with truths, as well as presenting diverse perspectives.
Fundamental principles of good reportage dictate that journalists must refrain from fabricating information, ensuring that their reporting is not a product of imagination or motivated by personal gain, such as financial need. This expectation is particularly pertinent for individuals seeking to establish a reputable career and legacy in journalism and activism, unlike opportunistic blackmailers like Jackson Ude. Genuine journalists must adhere to these hallmarks, cultivating a trustworthy and respected voice, rather than succumbing to unethical practices that compromise the integrity of their profession.
In the past, Jackson Ude has consistently employed a survival tactic of making unsubstantiated allegations against various individuals within President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inner circle, including the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu, and a former APC presidential aspirant and philanthropist, Mr. Jack Rich. Therefore, it came as no surprise when Ude recently made another baseless allegation, as he has a history of using his media platform to engage in destructive behavior, besmirching the reputations of influential individuals who cross his path.
Ude’s modus operandi involves reporting that is devoid of factual basis, instead indulging in groundless speculation and dementia. His brand of journalism is an absurd and characterless form of gutter and blackmail reporting, reliant on a stockpile of falsehoods, obnoxious, and villainous cheap gossip. This approach is exemplified by his tendency to prioritize sensationalism over fact-based reporting, thereby tarnishing the reputations of those he targets.
Jackson Ude has recently disseminated another installment of his fabricated narrative, opportunistically exploiting the ongoing #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest to resurrect his waning notoriety on social media and garner renewed validation and relevance. His motivations are twofold: to seek financial compensation from a platform based on the impression metrics generated by his post, and to revive his flagging popularity.
In his latest claims, Ude alleges that former Governors Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and Nasir Elrufai of Kaduna State have been clandestinely sponsoring the Northern protests, orchestrating and financing them from the Niger Republic. He further asserts that they commissioned the production and distribution of Russian flags in the North, insinuating a sinister plot to destabilize the region.
Ude’s spurious claims continue with the accusation that both former Governors are colluding with the Nigerien Military Junta, led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, to undermine the stability of Northern Nigeria and, by extension, the entire country. He alleges that they are secretly engaging with military officers through intermediaries, including Minister of State, Defence, Mohammed Bello Matawalle, with the ultimate goal of toppling the government.
Additionally, Ude claims that Matawalle and Usman Shugaba, the Chief Personal Security Officer (CPSO) to President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are providing sensitive information to Yahaya Bello and Elrufai, further perpetuating the alleged conspiracy.
It is perplexing to consider whether Jackson Ude’s vocalizations regarding the purported threats surrounding President Tinubu stem from a genuine concern for the administration or an ulterior motive. One might question whether Ude has regained mental clarity, enabling him to accurately identify potential threats to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
However, a closer examination reveals that Ude’s actions are, in fact, a deliberate attempt to undermine and destabilize President Tinubu’s administration. His strategy involves manipulating the President into perceiving allies as adversaries and embracing enemies as confidants.
Nevertheless, these allegations remain entirely baseless, devoid of even a shred of evidence.
This development only serves to reinforce the notion that Jackson Ude is a mercenary tool, exploited by those willing to pay for his services, with the aim of subverting democratic principles. His efforts to compromise the nation’s internal security have proven futile, and, ironically, the unity among Nigerians continues to strengthen, transcending political divisions. In essence, Ude’s machinations have been exposed as a desperate attempt to sow discord and chaos, but his endeavors have ultimately backfired, highlighting his role as a pawn in the hands of those seeking to undermine the country’s stability.
It is pertinent to highlight that Jackson Ude’s propensity for blackmail is extensively documented, with a plethora of instances demonstrating his unscrupulous nature. Notably, his attempt to extort N200 million from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala by disseminating fabricated news stands as a testament to his dubious integrity. The subsequent legal action taken by Okonjo-Iweala, resulting in a victorious court ruling, further underscores Ude’s lack of credibility.
Ude’s history of targeting high-profile individuals for extortion is a recurring pattern, as evidenced by Abubakar Ismaila Isa’s lawsuit against him for publishing defamatory content. This raises fundamental questions about the trustworthiness of an individual with such a questionable track record.
Furthermore, Ude’s credibility suffered a significant blow when he impersonated the NYPF coordinator to call for bogus probes, prompting the NYPF itself to disavow any association with him. This incident exemplifies Ude’s serial impersonation and blackmail tactics.
The courts have repeatedly restrained Ude from publishing false articles, underscoring his penchant for utilizing fake news as a tool for blackmail. The consistency of this pattern, evident in his dealings with Okonjo-Iweala and Abubakar Ismaila Isa, raises a critical question: Why would any discerning citizen take Jackson Ude’s allegations seriously, given his demonstrable history of dishonesty and extortion?
The Jackson Ude case serves as a poignant reminder of the media’s darker underbelly and the potential harm that can arise from unsubstantiated allegations. The recent smear campaign is a prime example of this phenomenon. However, as is often the case, the President remains unflappable in the face of such baseless attacks.
In reality, Ude is driven by a singular mission: to engage in frivolous and self-destructive controversies designed to sully the reputations of public officials and citizens who refuse to capitulate to the demands of powerful vested interest groups. These groups, accustomed to getting their way, resort to mudslinging when their expectations are not met.
Ude’s publishing endeavors are characterized by a glaring lack of decorum and mental stability, with quackery seemingly serving as his guiding vision, mission, and central theme. In this modern era, no discerning intellectual should lend credence to someone as unsophisticated as Jackson Ude.
Ultimately, Nigeria’s unity remains unshakeable, impervious to the machinations of those who seek to divide and conquer through deceit and misinformation. The nation’s resilience and cohesion will continue to thrive, undeterred by the likes of Ude and his ilk.
(Goulding wrote this piece from the United Kingdom).