Journalists were weekend charged to remain neutral in reporting political activities during and after the 2027 general elections.
Prof Augustine Uchenna Akubue, a Health Policy Economist, stated this while speaking as a guest lecturer during the 2026 National Convention of the Nsukka Journalists Forum, NJF, held at Nsukka, Enugu State.
In his words, “The press is not an appendage of government. Press is not praise-singers. Press is not for those who give envelopes at events. Press exists to tell truth even when it is dangerous to do so. I beg you to return to that mandate. Enlighten the people, not deceive them. Journalists must teach our people that vote is not for sale. A vote sold for two thousand naira is hunger bought for four years. Our people are hungry, but selling vote makes hunger remain. Nsukka has been too polite for too long. We praise those who give us nothing. We give front seats to those who created no jobs, while the woman who employs twenty young people in her small garri factory sits at back, or is not invited at all.”
He called on electorate to interrogate political office-seekers rather than selling their votes to them. “We celebrate political wealth instead of enterprise wealth. We clap for people who were in office two years and built three houses.”
He lamented the underdevelopment of Nsukka Cultural Zone despite the natural resources they are endowed with. According to him, “We have the potentials but we have not unleashed them. We have refused to become what we ought to be. This is a debt we owe our children. The political leadership in Nsukka ought to provide the pathway to realize our potentials. Sadly, over the years, political leadership in our land has been for just show of long vehicle convoys, for titles and for intimidation. Political positions are not mere titles, they are responsibilities that we have to the people.”
He said the presence of the University of Nigeria at Nsukka has not unleashed the potentials of the cultural zone. In his words, “We have UNN, which will be 66 years old next week. Because of UNN, Nsukka is placed on the national and global map, and our people have access to university education. Ironically, we produce certificates faster than we produce jobs. While the university established Lion Science Park in 2018, Lion Rice and laptop assembly but they are still islands of economic trials. We must unleash the full potential on that university in our midsts. We must convert the intellectual resources, researches and human capital of the university to tangible economic production hub that will produce jobs for our people.”
He called for an education system that will address societal needs, noting that “education that does not translate to concrete development is a mere economic exercise”. He urged academics to be more research-oriented rather than complaining of poor government funding.
He said, “Professors now resort to opening WhatsApp groups to source funds to hold their inaugural lectures instead of using their research to unlock a catalyst of wealth. These are paradoxical to economic progress. Our bane is paying researchers in university instead of attraction of grants. No professor in civilized world is paid by the university, they rather pay university from grants. If you are not a millionaire, you can’t make one. No wonder many seek further education as means of livelihood in Nsukka and not as not a pathway to wealth creation.”
He tasked Africa’s universities to stop producing degree holders only but to start producing builders. “This is the thrust of a trending article. UNESCO says 75 percent of Africans are under 35. So every year, 11 million young people enter the labour market, 40 percent out of these have no skill. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) says that 70.9 million young Africans in 2025 are doing nothing; no school, no work, no training.”
He said many youths of the cultural zone are unemployable because they lack skills. He said such trend portends quality-jobs crisis. “It is not because they are lazy, but because schools gave certificates without skills.” He said the situation makes some youths vulnerable to crimes.
According to him, “When 600,000 have no work, some will become available for politicians to use for thuggery as election comes. It means economic loss, because if 600,000 could earn just 50,000 naira a month from processing, trading, tech, that is 30 billion naira every month staying in Nsukka, 360 billion naira a year. That is the money we lose today because we did not train builders.”
He bemoaned the employable status of many youths of the zone. In his words, “Our universities still teach students to pass exam, not to solve problems. A student can have First Class in agriculture and has never planted tomatoes. Our education is now useless for this century. We are using 19th century model to prepare children for 22nd century needs.”
He decried the rate at which hotels are being built in Nsukka instead of factories. He said, “Our problem is we sell raw. We sell raw cashew and buy it back roasted. The lorry carries our wealth away. Obollo-Afor is where the North meets the South. Agricultural produce and other goods pass through there. It should have modern storage, cold chain, price board that protects farmer. Go to Adani and see rice fields while our children eat imported rice. Go to UNN and see professor publishing in London whose village still lacks light. This is not fate. It is result of choices. And these choices can change.
Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and can be overcome by actions of human beings.”
The candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, for Udenu State Constituency of Enugu State, Hon Hillary Onah, at the event tasked journalists to remain the watchdog of democracy, and called for the sustenance of the ethics of the profession in the buildup, during and after the elections.
According to him, “Our democracy will be preserved the more through ethical journalism that holds leaders accountable. Journalists have access to almost key information, and we urge them to expose all the information that should determine the choice the electorate need in choosing who their leaders should be. There should be no sacred cow.”
The chairman of the event, Chief Mathias Omeh, a former Commissioner of Agriculture in Enugu State, advised leaders of the cultural zone to encourage those that they lead to explore opportunities in the agro-potentials of the zone.
Omeh said, “We have a comparative advantage with our arable land. Our leaders can aid in providing credit facilities, agro implements and security.”
