Rufai, Umahi
By Lolafunke Ogulolu
Every time Rufai Oseni asks a politician a hard question, one corner of Nigeria erupts like NEPA just brought light.
“Who’s this guy sef?”
“He’s not even a journalist!”
“He studied Animal Anatomy!”
And I’m like — okay, calm down, Professor of Media Gatekeeping. Let’s talk sense.
Because, you see, journalism isn’t a degree — it’s a duty.
It’s not about how soft your voice sounds on air or whether you can recite “balance, objectivity, and fairness” like a nursery rhyme.
Journalism, at its core, is about public accountability — asking the uncomfortable questions others are too scared or too compromised to ask.
Now, Rufai’s style? Let’s be honest: it’s not tea-and-crumpets polite. He presses. He interrupts. He repeats the question when you dodge it.
It’s confrontational — yes. But since when did holding power to account become a sin?
People love to name-drop Seun of Channels — calm, measured, smooth like peak milk.
And truly, Seun is excellent. But democracy also needs journalists who shake tables when the legs start wobbling.
The world’s best interviewers — Tim Sebastian (BBC HARDtalk), Christiane Amanpour (CNN), Jeremy Paxman (BBC), the late Larry King (CNN) — all built reputations on pressure.
They didn’t do “yes sir, thank you sir.” They did “answer the question, sir.”
If Nigeria had more journalists like Rufai in the ‘90s, maybe some of the “unknown billions” would have names by now.
Let’s be clear: journalism today is not stenography. It’s not “the minister said…” and then close laptop.
It’s not running PR for power in agbada. It’s interrogation, verification, persistence — even when the person answering doesn’t like your tone.
So when people shout, “He’s not a journalist!” what they really mean is, “He’s not the kind of journalist we’re used to — the quiet, deferential one that makes power comfortable.”
But truth “no dey comfort power.”
If accountability makes you uneasy, that’s not Rufai’s fault — it’s your conscience adjusting to oxygen.
A country that silences tough questions will keep building roads without knowing the cost per kilometer.
And the only thing more dangerous than a bad leader is a timid journalist.
So, is Rufai really a journalist?
Yes — and exactly the kind democracy needs right now.
