In the End, Truth Has a Stubborn Way of Surviving Propaganda -By Danjuma Lamido

There is an old saying that falsehood may travel halfway around the world before truth even puts on its shoes. In Nigeria’s turbulent political and media environment, that saying often feels painfully accurate. Smear campaigns spread quickly. Sensational headlines dominate public conversations. Coordinated propaganda masquerades as activism. Yet, history has consistently shown that truth possesses a stubborn resilience. It survives noise, outlives manipulation, and ultimately exposes those who profit from deception.

This reality is perhaps best reflected in the experience of former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

While he served as Nigeria’s police chief, Egbetokun became one of the most attacked public officials in the country. Hardly a week passed without one manufactured controversy or another. Social media propagandists, political opportunists, and professional blackmailers invested enormous energy in portraying him as illegitimate, controversial, or unfit for office. Every administrative decision was twisted into conspiracy. Every policy initiative was weaponized against him. Every extension, reform, or operational directive became fertile ground for propaganda merchants seeking relevance and attention.

Yet today, as Egbetokun quietly enjoys retirement with peace of mind, dignity, and sound health, the same voices that once screamed endlessly about his office have largely gone silent. Time, as always, has exposed the difference between genuine criticism and calculated malice.

One of the most persistent falsehoods pushed against Egbetokun was the claim that he was an “illegal IGP.” The phrase was repeated so frequently by certain activists and online platforms that many people began to mistake propaganda for constitutional interpretation. Curiously, those making the loudest accusations were neither constitutional lawyers nor police authorities. Some had no understanding whatsoever of the administrative procedures guiding public service appointments. What they lacked in legal knowledge, however, they compensated for with noise and sensationalism.

The irony is that the institutions empowered by law to determine the validity of his appointment never declared him illegal. The Presidency stood by its decision. Relevant authorities acted within the framework of the law. Government institutions continued to recognize and work with him. He remained in office, carried out his duties, supervised national policing operations, and eventually exited office officially and peacefully.

That alone should have forced a moment of reflection among those who built entire campaigns around falsehood. But propaganda rarely apologizes. It simply moves on to another target.

During his tenure, Egbetokun faced attacks not because he failed in his responsibilities, but because modern public discourse has become polluted by performative outrage. In today’s Nigeria, some individuals have discovered that attacking institutions generates visibility. Controversy attracts traffic. Insults trend faster than facts. The louder the accusation, the greater the attention.

Sadly, this culture has weakened responsible public engagement. Serious national conversations are increasingly replaced with emotional manipulation and media trials. Public officials are no longer judged by balanced assessment but by whichever hashtag dominates social media for the day.

Yet despite the relentless attacks, Egbetokun maintained unusual composure. He rarely descended into media warfare. He did not spend his tenure chasing online critics. He remained focused on the difficult task of policing one of Africa’s most complex societies. Whether one agreed with all his decisions or not, there was undeniable discipline in the way he handled sustained hostility.

More importantly, the catastrophic predictions of his detractors never materialized. Nigeria did not collapse because he remained in office. The Police Force did not disintegrate under his leadership. Democracy survived. Government institutions functioned. Life moved on. The hysteria manufactured around his office eventually dissolved under the weight of reality.

That is the problem with propaganda: it struggles to survive time.

The people who dedicated years to demonizing Egbetokun assumed public memory would permanently validate their narratives. Instead, many Nigerians are beginning to recognize the dangerous pattern in contemporary activism where some individuals deliberately weaponize misinformation against public officials for political, ideological, or personal interests.

This does not mean public officers should be immune from criticism. Far from it. Accountability remains essential in any democracy. Citizens have every right to question power, challenge policies, and demand transparency. But criticism loses credibility when it becomes obsessive hatred driven by personal vendettas and media sensationalism.

There is a moral difference between constructive scrutiny and coordinated destruction.

Unfortunately, certain actors crossed that line repeatedly during Egbetokun’s tenure. They personalized institutional disagreements. They reduced national discourse to insult competitions. They promoted outrage while neglecting facts. Even when events proved them wrong repeatedly, they refused to reassess their claims because propaganda thrives not on accuracy, but on emotional investment.

Today, however, the picture is clearer.

Egbetokun has left office honorably. He is not hiding from the law. He is not fleeing the country. He is not disgraced. He is not consumed by scandal. Instead, he enjoys retirement peacefully, surrounded by family, associates, and the satisfaction that comes with surviving one of the most coordinated media attacks against a public servant in recent times.

That reality may disappoint those who built careers around attacking him, but it also offers an important lesson for Nigeria.

Public opinion can be manipulated temporarily, but truth eventually reasserts itself. Institutions may come under pressure, but facts outlive hysteria. Social media campaigns may dominate headlines for a season, but history often delivers a calmer and more honest verdict.

In the end, truth has a stubborn way of surviving propaganda.

And perhaps that is the final vindication of Kayode Egbetokun.

Danjuma Lamido is the spokesperson of the Integrity Youth Alliance and writes from Yola, Adamawa State. Email: danjumalamido2011@gmail.com