Veteran journalist Yakubu Mohammed has revealed that a mysterious rift with the late Chief MKO Abiola, publisher of the now-defunct National Concord, was the catalyst for the creation of Newswatch, Nigeria’s pioneering weekly news magazine.
In his memoir, _Beyond Expectations_, Mohammed recounts how he, alongside Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, and Dan Agbese, founded Newswatch in 1984 amid strained relations with Abiola.
At the time, Mohammed served as Editor of National Concord, Giwa led Sunday Concord, Ekpu was on the Editorial Board, and Agbese headed the New Nigerian Newspaper. Mohammed attributes the discord partly to Giwa’s bold, iconoclastic journalism, which strained his once-close relationship with Abiola.
“It was hard to pinpoint the exact cause of the tension,” Mohammed writes. “All I recall now is that there was a cold relationship”.
The trio’s prominence at National Concord enhanced the newspaper’s public image. Mohammed notes, “We became poster boys for the improved public image of *Concord*,” often socializing together and earning the nickname “Benzy journalists wearing Gucci shoes” from the New Nigerian’s Candido column.
However, tensions escalated due to an in-house fashion competition initiated by staff writer May Ellen Ezekiel (MEE).
The contest, which pitted Giwa against Abiola, saw readers vote Giwa as better dressed. Mohammed reflects, “This was in bad taste. Why feature the editor and publisher in a contest organized by the newspaper? MKO stormed my office, declaring Dele’s cup was full” (_Beyond Expectations_).
Further friction arose when Mohammed, Giwa, and Ekpu secured an exclusive interview with then-military Head of State Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in January 1984.
Instead of praise, Abiola gave them “cold shoulders,” possibly due to his strained relations with the new military regime. Mohammed recalls, “When we shared details of General Buhari’s warm reception, Abiola was glum” (_Beyond Expectations_). This incident, compounded by an anonymous letter labeling the trio “stranger elements,” led to a formal query from Abiola, pushing them to explore new ventures.
Motivated by these conflicts, Mohammed, Giwa, Ekpu, and Agbese sought investors to launch a weekly news magazine modeled after _Time_ and _Newsweek_. Early backers included Alhaji Ibrahim Bilyaminu Yusuf, Chief Alex Akinyele, Nuhu Aruwa, Ime Umanah, Abdulaziz Ude, and Mike Adenuga. This venture birthed _Newswatch_, a groundbreaking publication that reshaped Nigerian journalism.
NAN
