Bayo Onanuga: Between Bolekaja Publicity and Public Relations
By Yushau A. Shuaib
I have often emphasised the thin, but important line between journalism and public relations. A journalist thrives on controversy; every confrontation is newsworthy. Public relations, however, demands restraint, maturity, and controlled messaging. It is about protecting integrity, building credibility, and cultivating long-term trust.
Unfortunately, in Nigeria’s current political landscape, publicity and PR are too often conflated. Publicity is attention-seeking, sometimes negative, driven by sensationalism and external triggers for viral content. PR, in contrast, is a strategic craft—measured and purposeful, designed to preserve reputation, win allies, and build confidence over time.
This distinction matters because those tasked with managing the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appear to be doing the opposite. Instead of winning hearts, they are creating more enemies. A recent example is that of the presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, a respected journalist, publisher, and former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). In a lengthy press statement, he traded the discipline of public relations for Bolekaja (street-brawling) rhetoric.
Rather than addressing issues involving a former President and a former minister with decorum, Onanuga resorted to abrasive language. In nearly a thousand words, he harshly condemned former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, describing it as one of “dismal records” of economic mismanagement and corruption. He went further to warn Jonathan against aligning with PDP figures such as former Information Minister, Professor Jerry Gana, dismissing them as selfish opportunists.
This was not public relations; it was black propaganda. And it was unbecoming of a man of Onanuga’s pedigree. More troubling is his careless reference to Sambo Dasuki, the former National Security Adviser, whose detention for over four years under the Buhari administration has already become a matter of judicial controversy. By invoking Dasuki in a political attack, it serves his interests. Does a President admired for political dexterity truly need aides issuing press statements that inflame rather than reconcile?
A look at the record shows that Onanuga’s attempt at revisionism falters under scrutiny. Under Jonathan (2010–2015), Nigeria’s economy experienced relative stability: the naira hovered around ₦150–₦165 to the dollar, GDP growth averaged 6–7%, and inflation remained within single digits for some years. In fact, in 2014, Nigeria became Africa’s largest economy after a GDP rebasing.
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By comparison, Tinubu’s government has its own story: the GDP was at 4.23% in Q2 2025, the naira hovered around N1,500 to N1,650, and inflation was 20.12% in August 2025. These are factual and authoritative figures, rather than the result of reckless comparisons or denigration of predecessors.
On the security front, the record is equally clear. In my book, “Boko Haram War: An Encounter with the Spymaster,” I documented how, in the twilight of Jonathan’s tenure, dozens of communities across Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe were liberated from Boko Haram under Dasuki’s watch as NSA. Military press releases and pictorial evidence confirm the recapture of towns such as Bama, Monguno, Gwoza, Michika, and Mubi, as well as the rescue of 234 abductees from Sambisa Forest on April 30, 2015. To ignore these facts is not only misleading but also diminishes credibility.
If a novice fresh from university made such blunders—issuing a release that creates adversaries rather than allies—one might excuse it as inexperience. But from a seasoned journalist of Onanuga’s stature, it is both shocking and disappointing.
Apart from certified public relations practitioners, many non-NIPR members have also imbibed the principles of PR—fostering relationships, building bridges, and managing perception with tact. Onanuga should reflect on this and reorient his approach a lot.
Public relations is not about shouting down critics; it is about persuasion, bridge-building, and protecting one’s principal from needless controversies. For the image of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, communication should not be reduced to ‘Bolekaja’ street fights.
Tinubu deserves better. Nigerians deserve better. A presidency that claims to offer renewed hope should not be defined by old-school propaganda and needless quarrels. Onanuga must decide whether he wants to be a publicity merchant or a public relations strategist. He cannot be both.
Suppose he chooses the path of Bolekaja brawls. In that case, he will win applause from the mob but lose credibility where it matters most — among those who judge leaders not by the noise they generate, but by the stability and respect they command.
My humble advice to every spokesperson, whether in the public service or private sector, is simple: choose PR over propaganda, strategy over sensationalism, diplomacy over denigration. For in the end, a leader’s image is too precious to be squandered on avoidable verbal brawls.
As is often said in public relations, noise fades. But reputations endure.
Yushau A. Shuaib (mapra, mipra) is the author of ‘An Encounter with the Spymaster’ and ‘Award Winning Crisis Communication Strategies’ [email protected]
