Defending Dr. Sarah Enoch AdiAgainst Post-Truth Journalism

 

By Ishaq El-Qassim

 

In Nigeria today, reputations are not destroyed by facts but by a viral video and a hasty blog post. This is the hallmark of our internet age: a post-truth culture where sensation trumps substance and emotional clickbait often replaces verified journalism. Sahara Reporters, notorious for such tactics, has once again demonstrated how reckless reporting can be weaponized against reformers. Its latest target is Dr. Sarah Enoch Adi, the reform-driven official who recently exposed a massive ghost worker cartel in Taraba State.

 

The allegation is as flimsy as it is damaging, that she sponsored a proxy to sit for an ICAN examination. Sahara Reporters ran with the story based on a random video clip, without verification from ICAN, without confirmation from security agencies, and without offering Dr. Adi the right of reply. These are not courtesies; they are obligations. The Nigeria Union of Journalists' Code of Ethics insists on truth, balance, and verification as the foundation of reporting. Sahara Reporters ignored every single one.

 

This is hardly an isolated case. The platform has a long track record of playing fast and loose with facts. It has been accused of fabricating parts of a NANS president's speech, falsely claiming that former Power Minister Saleh Mamman was remanded by a court, and using misleading images from Ebonyi to misreport an attack in Enugu. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Zamfara State, and Ekiti State have all publicly dismissed its stories as baseless. Time and again, Sahara Reporters has traded credibility for clicks.

 

That is why the attack on Sarah Adi cannot be taken at face value. It is no coincidence that this smear emerged just after her audit uncovered a ghost worker cartel so vast it had doubled Taraba's wage bill. By dismantling a network built on siphoning public funds, she created enemies eager to silence her. Sahara Reporters has now given them the perfect tool: an unverified scandal dressed up as investigative journalism.

But Taraba is fortunate to have a governor who understands the playbook of renegade journalism. Governor Agbu Kefas himself has been a victim of Sahara Reporters' smear tactics. He knows how false narratives are spun into "facts" and how reputations are sacrificed on the altar of online traffic. That is why he cannot be deceived into discarding a loyal and competent servant over a concocted story.

 

The truth is that Dr. Sarah Adi is not guilty of the claims. She is guilty only of doing her job too well in an environment where courage often attracts attacks. Her reforms align squarely with Governor Kefas's vision for a transparent and accountable Taraba. Her dismantling of the ghost worker cartel was not self-preservation; it was loyalty to the governor's agenda, an agenda that insists every kobo earmarked for workers should serve real workers, not ghost names on a payroll. She has shown readiness to continue on this path of reform, fully committed to helping the governor implement his policies without fear or compromise.

 

And the governor, for his part, has shown again and again that he rewards loyalty and defends integrity. His recent donation of operational vehicles to the 6th Brigade of the Nigerian Army is evidence of his resolve to sustain the hard-won security gains in Taraba. It is this same spirit of protection and vision that should extend to his reform team. 

 

Defending Sarah Adi is not merely a favour; it is an act of governance consistent with his record of standing firm where others would fold.

 

What we are witnessing is bigger than one official and one scandal. It is about whether Taraba will allow clickbait mobs and corrupt cartels to dictate governance. Reformers always make enemies because they cut off illicit streams of wealth. That is precisely why they must be defended. If reformers are left at the mercy of viral falsehoods, no one will dare to challenge entrenched corruption again.

 

The governor's path is clear, and it is one he has already chosen: not to bow to sensationalism, but to rise above it, defend the truth, and continue building a Taraba anchored on reform, loyalty, and security. Dr. Sarah Adi deserves nothing less than full protection. To shield her is not just to protect her reputation, it is to affirm the very foundation of good governance.

 

In the end, the real danger to Nigeria is not the bold reformer or the principled governor, but the unchecked spread of post-truth journalism that thrives on fabrications and half-truths. The Sarah Adicase is a reminder that unless we demand accountability from the press as much as from public officials, we risk allowing falsehoods to destroy the very people trying hardest to save the system.