* From left, Otitoju, Okinbaloye and Abati
By Olugbenga Adebamiwa ( Newspot Political and Social Analyst)
In Nigeria’s rapidly evolving media landscape, three names stand out for shaping how millions perceive power, politics, and public accountability: Seun Okinbaloye of Channels TV, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju of TVC News, and Dr. Reuben Abati of Arise News. Each represents a distinct school of journalism, Okinbaloye’s calm precision, Otitoju’s intellectual depth, and Abati’s cerebral but combative eloquence. Together, they embody the tensions and triumphs of a press industry navigating the fine line between scrutiny and sensationalism in an age of political polarization and digital misinformation.
Seun Okinbaloye has built a reputation for disciplined neutrality, becoming a trusted moderator of Nigeria’s often heated political discourse. His Politics Today show on Channels TV is a rare space where diverse voices meet without descending into chaos. Okinbaloye’s hallmark is restraint, he probes with composure, often allowing his guests to reveal contradictions through their own words. Critics may dismiss his approach as overly polite, yet it is this non-confrontational precision that sustains his credibility in a climate where journalists are easily accused of bias or compromise. His method underscores a larger truth, in a democracy still finding its footing, professionalism can be more radical than provocation.
Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, by contrast, exemplifies intellectual journalism. On TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, his commentary blends the rigor of a historian with the balance of a teacher. Where others chase soundbites, Otitoju dissects patterns linking today’s political decisions to the echoes of colonial governance or the failures of past administrations. He neither panders to populism nor indulges in grandstanding, preferring calm reflection to confrontation. While some fault him for occasional establishment-friendly tones, his insistence on context over chaos offers a stabilizing influence in a media culture often driven by outrage. His career reminds audiences that journalism, at its best, educates before it entertains.
Reuben Abati, the most polarizing of the trio, personifies the scholar-journalist standard, brilliant, articulate, and unafraid of controversy. With his background as a former presidential spokesperson and columnist, Abati approaches interviews as intellectual duels rather than dialogues. His fluency and authority make him magnetic, but his perceived arrogance has at times alienated viewers and guests alike. Abati’s strength is also his weakness, his intellect can enlighten or intimidate, depending on the listener’s threshold for blunt truth. Yet his presence on Arise News ensures that even contentious subjects receive the analytical depth they deserve, pushing Nigerian television toward higher standards of public reasoning.
The professional contrasts among these journalists reflect the ideological diversity within Nigeria’s press. Okinbaloye’s civility, Otitoju’s scholarship, and Abati’s audacity each fill a critical gap in the country’s democratic ecosystem. While none is without flaws, Okinbaloye can seem too cautious, Otitoju too academic, and Abati too confrontational, their coexistence enriches public debate. Together, they demonstrate that objectivity in journalism is not a single point on a compass but a field of competing virtues, empathy, evidence, and eloquence.
Ultimately, these three broadcasters are more than television personalities, they are reflections of Nigeria itself, complex, divided, striving, and deeply committed to the pursuit of truth in public life. In their different ways, they invite Nigerians to think harder, listen longer, and demand better from those who lead and those who report. As the nation redefines its democratic values and media ethics in the digital era, the contrasting voices of Okinbaloye, Otitoju, and Abati remind us that journalism is not just about asking questions, it is about asking them well.
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