At a time when digital journalism has become the backbone of real-time information in Nigeria, the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) appears determined to drag the profession backwards. The ongoing plot to disenfranchise members of the recognised Online Media Chapel (GOMPOS) from participating in the December 9, 2025 NUJ election is not only shameful — it is a dangerous assault on press freedom and democratic participation within the union itself.
If this obnoxious, oppressive, self-serving decision sails through, then we must ask: what truly separates such leadership from the very anti-democratic forces Nigeria has battled for decades? When journalists begin to silence fellow journalists, when a union built on defending free speech turns into an instrument of suppression, what moral justification remains to criticise religious extremists, bandits, kidnappers, or other enemies of free society?
Because at that point, the NUJ becomes guilty of the same authoritarianism it condemns in others.
A Leadership Corrupted by Power
The outgoing Ademola Babalola-led Oyo NUJ administration has shown that when absolute power lands in the wrong hands, corruption becomes inevitable. During the July congress, Babalola reportedly declared that online practitioners “are publishers and not reporters” — a flimsy, illogical excuse that collapses under the weight of the NUJ’s own constitution.
Yet this same chapel was inaugurated under his leadership in November 2022.
This same chapel has paid dues.
This same chapel has participated in national congresses and activities.
This same chapel has contributed immensely to the growth and visibility of NUJ in Oyo State.
But today, because an election is approaching and some individuals fear the influence of online journalists, the rules are suddenly being rewritten. Chapels reduced from 22 to 11 without explanation. Files “missing.” National officers refusing to pick calls. Promises ignored. Silence weaponised.
This is not leadership.
It is manipulation.
It is rot.
It is a deliberate attempt to shrink the union and tighten power in the hands of a few.
An Attack on the Fastest-Growing Arm of Modern Journalism
Online media is no longer a small fringe of the industry — it is the heartbeat of swift, reliable, real-time journalism in Nigeria. It is where breaking news breaks. It is where citizens turn first. It is where accountability is strongest.
To shut out online practitioners is to shut out the future.
It is to cripple the union’s relevance.
It is to mock the intelligence of the Nigerian public.
No responsible union would deliberately sabotage its own growth.
Only a leadership drowning in fear would attempt it.
Hypocrisy at Its Peak
Every day, NUJ issues statements accusing politicians of tyranny, impunity, and disrespect for the rule of law. But what moral right does the Oyo NUJ leadership have to criticise political parties when it cannot conduct its own internal processes transparently?
How can you condemn electoral malpractice in government while practising it at the union level?
How do you condemn disenfranchisement in society while institutionalising it in your own council?
Until Oyo NUJ cleans its house, it has no authority to lecture anyone on democracy.
Refund the Money or Restore the Rights
GOMPOS members have paid ₦750,000 in dues and ID card fees — money collected by the same leadership now working overtime to deny them the rights that those payments cover.
If the leadership insists on excluding them from voting, then the only honourable step is a FULL REFUND before December 8.
To collect money from members and disenfranchise them afterward is not only immoral — it is criminal.
A Call to Defend Journalism from Within
The attempt to silence online media practitioners in Oyo NUJ is a stain on the profession.
It is a betrayal of the oath journalists take.
It is a direct attack on the principles that make journalism the pillar of democracy.
If Oyo NUJ fails today, it is not only the online media chapel that suffers — it is the entire profession.
Because when journalists become the new oppressors, the future of free speech is in danger.
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