UNTIL the last syllable of our recorded time, we, as commentators in the media will continue to set agenda, identify systemic rot and contextually report what somebody somewhere is trying to hide; that is the news because the rest is public relations. Whether our political and business leaders like it or not, we will continue to transmit real time to our audiences what is odd, bizarre, unusual about people, places, events and issues.
Those in office and power today may not care about what we journalists disclose and transmit in public interest. Media products, especially the news can be transmitted to other various audiences in that the organic law of the land empowers us too.
As it has been finely addressed by scholars, some media organs transmit to those who run the country while others disseminate to those who would like to run the country. In the same vein, some others target the wives of those who run the country. Some special organs too broadcast to those who remember the country as it used to be, while some others publish for those who would like other foreign powers to run the country.
So, those who deride and ignore media agenda- setting role today and do what they like with the mandate the people give them for the public goods game should not cry for us. The market is big enough for the audiences we serve, till eternity.
So, to some of our concerned patriots who ask us quietly to stop writing because the authorities here do not care a hoot about even ‘security and welfare of the people, the primary purpose of government, there is a sense in which we can tell them that at this time we can direct our public service or/and solutions journalism at those who would like to run the country when the hurly burly of the consequential emilokan dispensation is over. I mean when the battle for the soul of Nigeria is lost and won in perhaps 2031 – the post-emilokan era. That is one of the good things about democratic dispensations: no regime is permanent.
And so here is the thing, today’s intervention may not be read by our leaders of today who as we can see, can’t read the dangers of their assumptions that they have conquered us. They don’t care about public good. They don’t listen to the people’s yearnings and aspirations. They all conspired against the wind of technological change about national coverage of telecoms during elections. They curiously claimed that elections results could not be transmitted real time even when the operators of telecoms firms said that wasn’t accurate. Our representatives didn’t ask the telecoms operators to testify before they transmitted the controversial bill real time for presidential assent.
Let’s therefore address today those who would like to run the country after ‘the men without chests’ leave the stage. I just would like aspiring post- PBAT leaders to follow closely what is happening to the royalty, the powerful monarchy in the United Kingdom. What is more relevant, they colonised us and even bequeathed some political cultures and values to us that we seem to have ruined, no thanks to national greed that has desecrated our national grid.
‘Epstein And Trial Of Andrew’
The didactic story: The recent arrest of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, on charges of misconduct in public office on his birthday serves as a stark reminder that no one is above the law, not even the royalty. The development has sent a powerful message to leaders worldwide, particularly in Africa, where impunity has become a pervasive issue and even a fundamental objective and directive principle of state policy.
As our leaders who celebrate anyhow-ness can see, in the UK, the rule of law is a cornerstone of governance. The fact that a member of the royal family can be held accountable for alleged misconduct in public office demonstrates the system’s strength and impartiality. This contrasts sharply with many African countries, notably in Nigeria where leaders often disregard the law and are already perpetuating a culture of impunity. The arrest highlights several key principles: equality before the law. No individual, regardless of status or position, is above the law. The development enhances accountability: Leaders are answerable for their actions, and investigations will be pursued.
That is the face of justice too: Allegations of misconduct will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted without let or hindrance.
African leaders should therefore take note of the correlation between a capable, prosperous state and rule of laws, not rule of men.
The development in the U.K enables us to talk about leadership and accountability. Leaders must be accountable for their actions, ensuring transparency and good governance.
All told, where the law rules even powerful, institutions are strenghtened. And upholding the law will foster trust and stability in the polity. Finally, that is the way to combat impunity that nurtures corruption and criminality. Addressing corruption and misconduct will improve Africa’s global standing, after all.
Let’s highlight a crucial point. Nigerian leaders should take heed: the lack of resolution on too many corruption cases has continued to fuel public distrust and damage Nigeria’s global reputation. Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index continues to reflect this and so it’s time for change. This is what the message from the United Kingdom highlights to us.
What is more, the trials and tribulation of so many casualties of the toxic Epstein Files have shown that media trials aren’t enough to combat official corruption: cases need proper prosecution and closure in good time. Unaddressed allegations perpetuate a culture of impunity, discouraging accountability and good governance. Accountability is not just about perception; it’s about action. Nigerian institutions must strengthen their resolve to investigate, prosecute, and conclude high-profile corruption cases, no matter whose ox is gored. That is the only way there can be public trust in governance.
Let’s reflect on this: many reports in the British media have indicated that the sight of police searching two royal estates for evidence after the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is the Royal Family’s worst nightmare playing out to a global audience. The unmarked police cars were seen on the Sandringham estate, with no advance warning for the King or the wider palace that his brother was going to be arrested. Can the Nigeria police force enjoy independence to deploy their service to the arena of the powers that be this way? It was only later that Thames Valley Police released their statement, confirming they were questioning a man in his 60s and searching properties in Norfolk and Berkshire.
But everything about this is unprecedented: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested, now questioned on suspicion of misconduct in public office. British police arrested the fallen Prince Andrew, on Feb. 19 over suspicions of misconduct in public office after accusations that he shared confidential information with Mr. Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy. He was released from custody several hours later, but police said the investigation was continuing. The former prince was stripped of his royal titles and kicked out of his royal residence after disclosures in 2025 about the extent of his relationship to Mr. Epstein and his alleged sexual abuse of a young woman trafficked to him by Mr. Epstein.
The speed of the statement from his brother the King, and to be honest, getting any public response at all, was also unexpected. But much needed when this is particularly painful for the Royal Family, going to the very heart of their public service. But the law, according to his brother the King must take its course. Again, the King appeared to try to distance the wider Royal Family from Andrew, reiterating they were open to cooperating with any investigations, and again emphasising that this would not derail the wider family from their work.
There are indications from British authorities that the development might eventually lead to abdication of the throne by the reigning King and here is why: future questions may come about what may have been known and not previously probed or shared with the authorities in relation to Andrew and his links to Epstein. Yes, while Andrew may have been arrested, there is jeopardy for the wider monarchy and the questions this investigation may raise. As the British Prime Minister has said, anybody with relevant information must come forward and co-operate with investigations, so that Jeffrey Epstein’s victims can get the justice that they have been denied for too long.
In the beginning, the Department of Justice in the United States released around 3 million pages from the case files relating to Jeffrey Epstein. It is increasingly clear that his awful crimes involved many—often powerful—people, who facilitated them by actively participating in those crimes, by failing to hear the victims’ voices, by equating wealth with integrity, and by not using their privileged position to speak out, even against a friend. Officials are saying that it is incumbent on those of them who hold ministerial office to behave in a way that builds trust in politics and upholds the standards that voters rightly expect from them.
Contained within the release by the US Department of Justice are documents that highlight the close nature of the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and U.K’s Peter Mandelson, including alleged financial transactions when Mandelson was a Labour Member of Parliament and later a Minister.
The British Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to review all available information regarding Peter Mandelson’s contact with Jeffrey Epstein during his period as a Government Minister, and to report back to him as a matter of urgency. Mandelson, U.K’s envoy to the U.S has been named and shamed. In September 2025, Mr. Mandelson was fired from his job as British ambassador to the United States when the depth of his friendship with Mr. Epstein started to become clear. In February, Mr. Mandelson was forced to resign from the Labour Party and the House of Lords. The Metropolitan Police in London have begun a criminal investigation into Mr. Mandelson.
In the U.S, Larry Summers resigned from positions; on leave from position
In November 2025, Mr. Summers, a former Harvard President and Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton administration said he would step back from some of his public commitments after new emails showed he had stayed in touch with Mr. Epstein for years after Mr. Epstein faced sex trafficking charges.
He is on leave from Harvard, which is investigating their relationship, and he has resigned from positions at two think tanks and from the board of OpenAI. The Opinion section of ‘The New York Times’, did not renew his contract as a contributing writer, according to the NYT…
Let’s continue next week with facts on business and political leaders who have faced consequences of the Epstein Scandal. This I believe is how to build a nation on accountable leadership. No nation can develop on a culture of impunity that we are already gambling with in Africa’s most populous nation and hope of the black race.
- Oloja is former editor of The Guardian newspaper and his column, Inside Stuff, runs on the back page of the newspaper on Sunday. The column appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday.