Photo File: Segun Showunmi

Former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar during the 2019 presidential election, Segun Showunmi, has sparked a heated media debate after calling for stricter regulation of Nigerian broadcast stations, citing a disturbing decline in professionalism and journalistic ethics.

In a post shared on X, on Tuesday night, Showunmi, under the headline: “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: WHEN BROADCASTERS BECOME THE STORY”, condemned what he described as a trend of provocative behaviour by television presenters, particularly taking aim at Arise News and its anchor, Rufai Oseni.

“When television anchors abandon professionalism for provocation, it becomes the duty of the station’s management to call them to order. But when that failure becomes routine, the National Broadcasting Commission must step in,” Showunmi wrote.

He urged the Ministry of Information and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to stop playing spectator roles and ensure ethical standards are upheld in public broadcasting.

“The supervising Ministry of Information must not remain a bystander while citizens invited in good faith are subjected to insult, rudeness, partisan aggression, and empty intellectual showmanship,” he said.

“Let it be clear: freedom of expression is not freedom to abuse. Regulation is not repression; it is the defence of sanity and national interest. The time has come to draw the line.”

Showunmi maintained that while certain excesses may be tolerated on informal platforms like personal podcasts, they are unacceptable from institutions licensed to inform the nation.

“What can be excused from a citizen’s podcast we cannot and must not tolerate from a licensed national broadcaster,” he stated.

“The madness must stop. #ARISEtv and its anchor, #ruffydfire (Rufai Oseni), have crossed too many lines.”

“They cannot continue to constitute themselves into self-appointed prosecutors, judges, and enemies of the state under the guise of journalism. There is a difference between questioning power and attacking the very idea of order.” he said

But Showunmi’s comments were swiftly met with a scathing rebuttal from fiery human rights activist, Mahdi Shehu, who accused him of hypocrisy and tacitly promoting censorship.

“When they appoint you the DG of NBC, you can shut down Arise if you like,” Shehu wrote in response on X.

“Or even now you can approach Tinubu to shut down Arise, Premium Times, Sahara Reporters, etc., so that evil will triumph over falsehood for a short while.”

Shehu didn’t hold back, launching a personal attack on Showunmi’s credibility

“When sellouts sell all they have and the proceeds are shrinking, they will seek to look for another opportunity to restock and replenish. Such is the sad commentary of the recanting Segun. Good riddance to a stupid, stinking rubbish.”

The development follows a tense live interview on Arise TV Tuesday morning, where Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, was grilled by Rufai Oseni over the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project. The discussion, which revolved around questions of cost, funding, and transparency, quickly turned into a heated exchange, prompting public reactions on both sides of the divide.