US visa, Kashim Shettima and other stories

Some months ago, I called Mr Kolapo Olapoju, editor of TheCable — the online newspaper I founded 11 years ago — and alerted him to the dangers ahead. I told him the next presidential election will be the dirtiest in our history. I advised him to hold regular seminars with his team so as to prepare them to study emerging trends in the misinformation and disinformation arm of the media, particularly WhatsApp, X and Facebook, and be prepared to work overtime to tackle the menace. I half-joked that TheCable would inevitably come under heavy intimidation and blackmail from the usual suspects for fighting misinformation — and that he needed to vaccinate his guys ahead. He laughed.

Two things happened last week that instilled the fear of God in me afresh. The first was the change in the US visa policy towards Nigeria and several other countries. The second was the statement attributed to Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the presentation of a book, ‘OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3bn Nigerian Oil Block’, authored by Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, former attorney-general of the federation. The way these events were reported and shared on social media — and even in sections of the mainstream media — sent chills down my spine. I am used to misinformation and mischief. Trust me, I have seen enough of the lot to last me a lifetime. Still, this was a new low.

The United States issued a statement announcing the introduction of a three-month, single-entry visa to Nigerian citizens. This is to replace the current five-year visa which was introduced a few years ago. Someone immediately sat down and — out of mischief, ignorance, clout-chasing, whatever — wrote that President Donald Trump took the action because President Bola Tinubu unilaterally revoked a reciprocity agreement that mandated the two countries to issue five-year visas to applicants. He, or she, alleged that Tinubu reduced the visa validity to three months and single entry and, therefore, the US was only responding in kind and all the blame should be heaped on Nigeria.

The manipulative and mischievous post was shared with me by someone from Ghana. I did not think twice before doubting it — based on common sense. Why would any president cancel a reciprocal five-year visa agreement with the US and reduce it to three months knowing very well that there would be instant retaliation? Who does that? The writer went on to say uncomplimentary things about the Nigerian media, accusing us of failing to report the repudiation of the agreement by the president. Common sense again: visa validity policies are never a secret. Visa requirements and conditions are online. All it takes to confirm is a visit to the immigration website. So, so simple!

Soon enough, about 10 of my contacts sent the same post to me. Some were cautious enough to ask me if the information was true. Some were already gloating, forcing me to wonder if they were on the side of Nigeria or the US. For the life of me, I will never understand why some people feel they have hit a jackpot anytime there is negative news about Nigeria. Their joy knows no bounds. If it is good news, they become depressed and broken-heart. When fake news aligns with your prejudices and biases, you are unlikely to crosscheck the facts or be circumspect. Instead, you will, excitedly, start forwarding it to your WhatsApp groups in search of wild, uninformed and cynical commentary.

As it turned out, Nigeria did not cancel the five-year visa policy. It is a lie. Instead, the country only added e-visa to the options (to replace the visa-on-arrival policy). With the e-visa — a brainchild of Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior — applicants do not need to visit the Nigerian embassy. All they need to do is apply online. When it is approved, the visa will be sent electronically to them. The old visa-on-arrival system was clumsy and time-wasting, bedevilled with so many complaints by applicants. The new e-visa is single entry and valid for 90 days. The US has not reciprocated this one though, perhaps because they do not want to receive 200 million visitors from Nigeria in one day.

As it also turned out, it was not only Nigeria that was affected by the new US policy. Ghana’s validity was also reduced to three months and single entry. Should we say the Ghanaian president also cancelled the five-year reciprocity agreement? And, perhaps, the Ghanaian media also failed to report it? In any case, the US government has issued a clarification, saying the new policy was for security and technical reasons and has nothing to do with the speculation. “The reduction in validity is part of an ongoing global review of the use of U.S. visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems,” the US Mission in Nigeria said.

Actually, the US announced weeks ago that it was going to place visa restrictions on a number of countries whose citizens overstay their visas or have criminal records. Over 30 countries were listed. Nigeria was on the list which included Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, South Sudan, Gambia, Egypt, Gabon and Burkina Faso. This was widely reported, first by the Washington Post. Countries where wealthy Nigerians go to acquire a second passport to gain visa-free access to the US were also listed for restrictions. Trump campaigned on containing immigration to the US and he has been devoting a large percentage of his attention to implementing it. Again, this is very much in the public domain.

On Thursday, another mischief was unleased when Shettima spoke at the public presentation of Adoke’s book. In expressing appreciation to the author, he said a state of emergency was to be imposed on Borno state in the heat of the Chibok abductions in 2014 and he was to be suspended as governor but Adoke, as the attorney-general, advised President Goodluck Jonathan against it. He said this as a tribute to Adoke while delivering his goodwill message. But by the time it was shared and reported on social media, the vice-president was quoted as saying Tinubu did not have the powers to suspend Sir Siminalayi Fubara as governor of Rivers state when he declared a state of emergency.

Ironically, Shettima said the same thing in November 2017 at the launch of Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi’s ‘On a Platter of Gold’, a book on the 2015 elections. Abdullahi was a minister in the Jonathan administration. I was at the event which took place at the same Yar’Adua centre. Shettima said he was to be suspended as governor but Adoke’s legal advice saved his neck. He was a senator in 2017 and his statement was reported normally. No sensation, no drama. But he said the same thing in 2025 as vice-president and his statement was no longer treated as a compliment to Adoke but as an attack on the president. Same words, same message, different reporting, different interpretations.

I understand interpretative journalism. I trained as a journalist, by the way, and I took courses in interpretative journalism. It gives context to stories, adding value beyond mere reporting. However, it does not allow the reporter to invent quotes or take a statement out of context. As Professor Wole Soyinka once said, “I like to be quoted in my own words.” The context of Shettima’s statement was purely about the role Adoke played in his political career. All he did was pay tribute to Adoke. His media aide, Mr Stanley Nkwocha, swiftly issued a strong rebuttal, but my fear is that there will be more mischiefs as we approach 2027. It is Shettima today. It would be someone else tomorrow.

Having said that, however, I am of the view that Shettima himself has to be very careful about his public statements. He appears as someone who likes to talk straight from the heart but he would be better served if he applies some filter in view of the prevailing political circumstances. If people are plotting to roast you, don’t make it easy for them by dousing yourself in petrol and standing beside naked fire. There has been a lot of talk in the media about whether or not he will be retained as running mate in 2027 by Tinubu. Those fuelling the speculation will be too happy to twist and taint his words and set him on a collision course with the president. It is a familiar game in our politics.

But Shettima and US visa aside, I worry about the looming hazards in this season. There will be more stories and posts filled with mischief and misinformation. Some people believe all is fair in love and war. Anything goes. This is a danger to the human society. I myself was a victim of fabrications and trolling in 2023 and while I can claim I am immune, it is not everyone that has taken the vaccine against fake news and blackmail. Fact checkers will be very busy but I bet they will be overwhelmed. The epidemic is hard to contain. My biggest fear is the possible chain of consequences. People have been attacked, maimed or killed and reputations ruined for life as a result of misinformation. Scary.

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

CRUDE, UNREFINED

Mr Bayo Ojulari, the group CEO of NNPC Ltd, has released what many Nigerians will call a bombshell: that the company’s refineries might be sold. This is an anti-climax. The refineries stopped working donkey years ago but every government discovered that “turn around maintenance” is a very good source of slush funds, so we kept flogging the dead horses and creating billionaires in dollars. One of the reasons for reduced inflow of petrodollars today is because we mortgaged our crude oil to repair these refineries a few years ago. Meanwhile, according to Alhaji Aliko Dangote, we have spent over $18 billion on rehabilitating these refineries whereas he built a new one for $20 billion. Scandalous.

OBI’S OPTIONS

Mr Peter Obi will not be leaving the Labour Party soon. He said this himself. He is part of the coalition of opposition parties under the aegis of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) quite all right, but for now, he remains a member of the LP. “If anybody asks you which party Peter Obi belongs to today, tell them Peter Obi is in the Labour Party. If anybody asks you about the coalition, tell them, ‘Yes’, the coalition is for 2027,” he said. Confused? Let me try to explain my take. The LP is contesting in many elections between now and 2027. If Obi leaves now, that can kill the LP — as well as his presidential ambition. If the ADC does not include him in its 2027 calculations, he stays back in the LP. Sorted.

MATHS CHALLENGE

Would it have been better for Mr Boss Mustapha, former secretary to the government of the federation, to have kept quiet than claim the only thing opposition contributed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory in 2015 was three million votes? By his own admission, Buhari had his regular 12 million votes in 2003 and 2011 (possibly had 12 million in 2007 as well) which were mathematically insufficient to make him president. When he finally had a national platform in 2015, he got three million more votes and became president. I want to believe that Mustapha did not think through his words. It is like saying my aunt would have been my uncle if she was a man. Meaningless.

NO COMMENT

And now this. Hon. Philip Agbese, deputy spokesperson of the house of representatives, is over the moon. He told journalists on Thursday he had made an astonishing discovery: that the green chamber has become a global reference point. “It is so beautiful that my friends from America, the UK, and other parts of the world have informed me that the US congress, the British house of commons, and other internationally respected parliaments are now sending their representatives to Nigeria to study how the house of representatives is doing it,” he said. Indeed, they have a lot to study regarding “oversight”, rubber-stamping and the art and science of budget padding. Hahahaha.