An article by Abba Anwar, titled "Kebbi: The Performing State Nobody Sees," has drawn a pointed rebuttal from the Kebbi State government. The response highlights a "curious contradiction" in Anwar's piece: while initially acknowledging Governor Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu, as a high-performing leader, it subsequently accuses his media team of failing to disseminate his achievements. The original article concludes that Kebbi's development story is obscured by a national media blackout. However, critics argue that by detailing numerous accomplishments, Anwar inadvertently discredits his own premise of invisibility, raising questions about how he obtained this information if the state's communication machinery is truly as ineffective as he suggests.
Challenging the 'Media Audit' Methodology
The government's response asserts that Anwar’s article, presented as a media audit, relies on sweeping conclusions that lack the necessary research methodology and verifiable evidence. It questions the use of statistics and unnamed studies to portray Kebbi as largely absent from national discourse, without providing sufficient data for independent verification.
Anwar claimed that Kebbi ranks 31st among Nigeria’s states and the Federal Capital Territory in media visibility, with a national 'Share of Voice' below 0.9 per cent. He further contended that only six out of every 1,000 stories about state governments pertain to Kebbi, with 42 per cent of mentions relating to insecurity and merely five per cent focusing on agriculture. The counter-argument demands answers to critical questions:
- Which organisations conducted the research?
- What specific media platforms were monitored?
- What was the sample size and the measurement period used?
- How were these figures calculated, and what criteria were applied to classify stories as prominent, secondary, or insignificant?
Without transparent answers, these statistical claims cannot be treated as established facts, as a percentage alone does not confer credibility. The government suggests that if a genuine media audit was conducted, its methodology, sources, findings, and limitations should be made public for scrutiny; otherwise, the presented figures remain unsubstantiated opinions.
Distinguishing Performance from Publicity
The central critique of Anwar’s article extends beyond statistical anomalies, arguing that it confuses media prominence with governmental performance, national attention with public value, and mere publicity with tangible development. Effective governance is measured by advancements in education, healthcare, infrastructure, agricultural productivity, employment, security, accountability, and the responsible management of public funds. While media visibility can highlight these outcomes, it cannot substitute for them.
Nevertheless, the administration of Governor Nasir Idris fully acknowledges the importance of strategic communication. This is evident in the proactive engagement of the Governor’s media team with journalists, editors, correspondents, broadcasters, and digital publishers to ensure that government policies, projects, and interventions receive appropriate public attention.
Contrary to Anwar’s depiction, the Kebbi State media team is actively involved beyond just issuing press releases. They have consistently engaged major media organisations to showcase the milestones and achievements of Governor Nasir Idris across all sectors of the state’s development. This sustained effort is a deliberate responsibility aimed at ensuring Kebbi’s development initiatives, government policies, and interventions gain broader coverage, reaching audiences both within and beyond the state. It is an ongoing commitment to project Kebbi positively through credible and strategic media engagement.
As part of these efforts, the team has visited major media organisations, engaging their editorial and management teams to bolster Kebbi’s national visibility. These engagements have included discussions on consistent coverage of the state’s development initiatives, improved access to reliable information, and stronger professional relationships with media outlets. These efforts have also led to agreements for sustained media coverage, including retainer arrangements with Channels Television, TVC, NTA, and Third Eye Africa, all approved by the Governor based on his media aides' recommendations. Such initiatives clearly demonstrate a deliberate strategy to expand the reach of Kebbi’s development narrative through established media platforms.
Therefore, portraying the Governor’s media aides as professionals who have failed to grasp contemporary communication practices is misleading. The team is well aware that modern government communication demands a blend of traditional journalism, digital distribution, multimedia storytelling, documentaries, feature articles, interviews, strategic media engagement, and transparent public information. While opportunities for further improvement always exist, this does not equate to a complete absence of effort.
External Factors and Editorial Independence
Anwar’s argument that a few states command over 60 per cent of national media attention also fails to consider broader influences beyond a media team's competence. Factors such as population size, commercial activity, political competition, the concentration of media organisations, advertising markets, entertainment industries, and the frequency of nationally significant events all inherently shape media coverage. For instance, Lagos benefits from its commercial and entertainment sectors, while the Federal Capital Territory houses federal institutions and diplomatic missions. Kano possesses substantial demographic and commercial importance, and Rivers State has a prominent petroleum economy. These factors generate news independently of the efforts of individual governors’ media teams.
Anwar correctly identifies a disparity in media attention but fails to establish its true cause, a crucial distinction for any credible assessment. His argument concerning insecurity is similarly incomplete. Even if security-related stories constitute a large proportion of coverage about Kebbi, this does not automatically indicate professional incompetence by government media aides. News organisations maintain editorial independence and report events based on their news value and public significance. A government cannot reasonably expect journalists to suppress security-related reporting simply to present an alternative public narrative.
The pertinent questions are whether Anwar’s statistics are accurate, whether they differentiate between stories specifically about Kebbi and reports that mention multiple states, and whether the actual prominence and context of the coverage were adequately assessed. Without this information, his conclusions remain open to challenge. The same scrutiny applies to his assertion that Kebbi’s agricultural potential receives insufficient national attention. The state's considerable rice production, fishing economy, irrigation capabilities, and agricultural communities certainly warrant sustained coverage. However, demonstrating an agricultural publicity deficit requires evidence of specific activities undertaken, the coverage they received, comparable figures from other states, and the reasons why particular stories might not have achieved national publication.
The distinction between agricultural performance and agricultural publicity must not be overlooked. A state can achieve substantial agricultural output without every development becoming national news. Conversely, extensive publicity does not automatically translate into superior productivity. Both aspects deserve attention, but one should not be used as a substitute for examining the other.
Unsubstantiated Accusations and Call for Evidence
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of Anwar’s article is its attempt to attribute Kebbi’s perceived national invisibility almost entirely to the Governor’s media aides, without presenting an independent evaluation of their work. There is no convincing evidence that a comprehensive assessment, including reviewing the team’s media engagements, publications, digital content, crisis communication, editorial placements, and relationships with journalists, or interviewing relevant professionals, was undertaken.
The suggestion that the absence of permanent bureaus for certain national television stations in Kebbi proves communication failure is equally questionable. Media organisations determine bureau locations based on editorial priorities, commercial considerations, operational requirements, and logistical realities, not simply as a referendum on a governor’s press office competence. More importantly, Anwar’s portrayal disregards the efforts already made by the Kebbi State Government to enhance the presence and coverage of major media organisations in the state. This progress and the arrangements for continued coverage deserve recognition rather than dismissal.
The team’s efforts have also garnered commendation from Governor Nasir Idris and positive recognition from senior figures in the information sector, including the Minister of Information, and other media leaders. While such recognition does not preclude criticism, it is relevant to any balanced assessment of their work.
Anwar’s assertion that inadequate publicity could deter investment in Kebbi is an oversimplification. While visibility can aid in identifying opportunities, investment decisions hinge on credible economic prospects, infrastructure, security, market access, regulatory conditions, institutional capacity, and expected returns. No evidence is provided that Kebbi has lost specific investment or funding due to an alleged media visibility deficit.
A strong agricultural investment proposition demands reliable data, viable projects, infrastructure, and practical engagement with investors, which publicity can complement but not replace. Similarly, promoting the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival requires a nuanced approach that considers media coverage, tourism infrastructure, visitor numbers, sponsorship, accessibility, and promotional strategies, rather than simply comparing its visibility to other festivals.
Furthermore, it is essential to distinguish between promoting government activities and ensuring public accountability. A responsible communication strategy facilitates access to information, explains policies, provides verified updates, responds to emergencies, and enables citizens to understand public expenditure and project implementation. It communicates achievements while remaining open to scrutiny regarding challenges and shortcomings. Therefore, Kebbi’s development story must be evaluated based on facts and measurable outcomes, not assumptions about media appearances.
While continuous improvement is always possible, transforming the pursuit of greater visibility into an accusation of wholesale professional failure is unfair. Kebbi is not invisible; its development story is being communicated, its media engagement is evolving, and its publicity efforts warrant evaluation through verifiable evidence rather than sweeping generalisations.
The appropriate challenge to Abba Anwar is clear: publish the methodology of the alleged media audit, substantiate the figures presented, and conduct a comprehensive review of the state’s actual media coverage. Until then, his conclusions should be regarded as opinions awaiting verification, not as an authoritative verdict on the performance of Kebbi State’s media team. The ultimate measure of Governor Nasir Idris’s administration remains the extent to which its policies and projects genuinely enhance the lives of the people of Kebbi. Public communication plays a vital role in making these efforts understood, but neither governance nor professional competence should be judged solely by unverified media rankings.
Kebbi deserves fair criticism, objective assessment, and responsible public discourse, not a manufactured crisis of invisibility.
Jombali is the Special Adviser on Public Enlightenment and Orientation to the Executive Governor of Kebbi State.