By Femi Kusa
johnolufemikusa@gmail.com
A Battle for the Soul of The Guardian
Today marks the conclusion of this three-part series, June 12 Honours… Knocks on Bayo Onanuga & Co, Alex Ibru, which began on July 3 and continued on July 10. As I hinted in the second part, this final piece could well be titled: A Battle for the Soul of The Guardian.
This series interrogates whether Bayo Onanuga (CON), Owei Lakemfa (CON), Kayode Komolafe (CON), and Mr. Alex Ibru (CON)—all recipients of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s June 12, 2025 Democracy Honours—deserved their places on the honours roll.
All four were connected to The Guardian newspaper during my tenure as Editor and later Director of Publications/Editor-in-Chief. Onanuga, Lakemfa, and Komolafe were editorial staff, while Mr. Alex Ibru served as Chairman of the Board and Publisher.
Within the media fraternity, especially among journalists, there has been no shortage of voices questioning these honours—particularly regarding two other Guardian men: Dr. Olatunji Dare, Chairman of the Editorial Board and Editorial Page Editor, and Dr. Edwin Madunagu, a member of the Editorial Board. Many wondered, too, why Sully Abu, also on the Editorial Board, was omitted.
As for Mr. Alex Ibru, opinion remained divided—both within The Guardian and among pro-democracy groups—on whether he deserved a spot on the Democracy Honours Roll. I attempted to address this in Part Two, offering reasons why some thought he did, and others insisted he didn’t. Their objections centered on what I have called: A Battle for the Soul of The Guardian.
What Does The Guardian Stand For?
From inception, The Guardian positioned itself as the “Flagship of the Nigerian Press” with a simple yet profound mission statement: Conscience, nurtured by Truth. This maxim, borrowed from Uthman Dan Fodio—the spiritual leader of the 1804 Jihadist movement in Northern Nigeria—resonated deeply with those of us who were determined to stand against tyranny and injustice.
Dan Fodio famously declared: “Conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it.” And so, The Guardian was birthed as a light bearer, a beacon for truth and conscience in Nigeria’s turbulent political landscape.
This Battle for the Soul of The Guardian reflected an internal struggle—whether this beacon would hold firm against the darkness epitomized by General Sani Abacha’s brutal dictatorship or whether it would falter.
Spiritual Anchors
I, Femi Kusa, speak here for myself and perhaps for Mr. Lade Bonuola, our Managing Director. We both came from spiritual backgrounds, understanding that man’s existence on Earth is to honour the Almighty Creator, fulfil His Will, and allow “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
We understood humanity as comprising spirit, soul, and body. Our conscience, the voice of the spirit, must guide us—not the intellect which is bound to material desires. Thus, our battle at The Guardian was one of Light versus Darkness, of Truth versus Falsehood.
From Daily Times to The Guardian
Bonuola and I joined The Guardian after fleeing a declining Daily Times, which had been politically hijacked by the military government of General Olusegun Obasanjo. Professionalism vanished; mediocrity flourished. Political money flowed freely in the newsroom. It wasn’t merely about “brown envelopes”; cash was brazenly deposited on journalists’ desks.
It was during this corruption-infested era that Alex Ibru, reacting to unfair press treatment of his family business, conceived the idea of starting a newspaper—not as a gossip rag as originally intended, but as a quality publication that became The Guardian.
Turning Around a Struggling Newspaper
By the time I became Editor in 1988, The Guardian was unprofitable. I didn’t tear down what existed but built upon it. I repositioned the paper to prioritize compelling news reporting and strong editorial pullouts targeting business communities. Under my leadership, the paper became Nigeria’s first compartmentalised newspaper, introducing daily niche segments like Property on Mondays, Executive Jobs on Tuesdays, Finance on Wednesdays, and Natural Health on Thursdays, among others.
This strategy bore immediate fruit—within one year, the paper transformed from a ₦7 million loss to a ₦10 million profit.
Clashes with Alex Ibru
Despite these successes, ideological clashes with Mr. Alex Ibru emerged—particularly during the dark days of General Abacha’s reign. Mr. Ibru once proposed that I replace Bonuola as Managing Director because I refused to lead a delegation to plead with Abacha for editorial leniency. I declined. He accused me of ingratitude, but I reminded him that I didn’t beg for the editor’s chair—I earned it and delivered profits.
Later, during an angry confrontation, he threatened to appoint Andy Akporugo as MD—a man whose divisive antics nearly crippled the paper. I stood my ground, unwilling to compromise The Guardian’s soul.
Ethnic Politics, Divisions, and a Fractured Legacy
Akporugo sowed division in the newsroom, fanning ethnic sentiments and alleging I was “Yorubanising” the paper. Yet, audits showed that Igbo staff held a slim majority, followed by Yoruba and Urhobo.
Why This Series?
Note:
A fuller version of this piece, including more revelations about The Guardian’s Abacha years and my last encounters with Mr. Alex Ibru, is available on my Facebook page @John Olufemi Kusa.
FEMI KUSA was at various times Editor; Director of Publication/ Editor-in-Chief of THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER; Editorial Director/ Editor-in-Chief of THE COMET NEWSPAPER. Currently, he keeps a Thursday Column on Alternative Medicine in the NATION NEWSPAPER.
Some of his health columns may be found on www.olufemikusa.com and in MIDIUM a digital platform for writers. He is active also on Facebook @ John OLUFEMI KUSA.
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