PERSONAL NON-GRATA: Ex-Press Secretary to Oyetola, Ismail Omipidan Recounts Media Trials, Betrayals, Journalist's Defiant Spirit at Book Reading

The Deputy Head of the Sun Newspaper, Ismail Omipidan has read the Persona non-grata book to the general public in Osun state and beyond.

The book reading took place on Thursday, May 29th at the Eti-Osa Lecture Theatre, Fountain University, Osogbo, the Journalist recounts political betrayals, media trials, and a journalist's defiant spirit.

During the reading and presentation of the book, Persona Non Grata, a memoir of truth, trials, and political treachery, the Former Chief Press Secretary to Ex-governor Adegboyega Oyetola, Omipidan revealed that most of the events in this book are not what somebody told him but what happened live and direct to him.

"One of the most striking revelations came when Omipidan recalled the moment he lost faith in former Governor Rauf Aregbesola during the APC membership revalidation exercise in 2021.

“He asked us to give him 48 hours. We waited, the day never came,” he said, signaling a political betrayal that shaped much of what followed.

Speaking on the dangers of truth-telling in Nigerian journalism, Omipidan reflected on his turbulent career, including multiple arrests and one unforgettable encounter with the Department of State Services (DSS):

“My wife had just been discharged from the hospital when I got the invite. I sat there for hours. Nobody spoke to me,” he recounted.

Despite threats and intimidation, including over a report he published about a governor’s health, based on the governor's own previous interviews , Omipidan stood firm.

“If you hate injustice, you can't be in a place where things are going wrong and keep quiet,” he insisted. “That’s why we journalists are often seen as troublemakers. We’re not. We’re truth shapers.”

When asked whether his boldness would have survived under the Babangida military regime, Omipidan responded pointedly: “From my experience, some governors today are more brutal than the military. And those who work around them worsen things.”

Reflecting on his time in office, he emphasized the integrity of his journalistic standards: “In three and a half years as CPS, I never apologized for a single story, because I always verified my sources.”

As Persona Non Grata now makes its way into public discourse, it is clear that Ismail Omipidan’s pen remains sharp, defiant, and unapologetically committed to the truth, no matter the cost.

Present at the event were; Mass communication Lecturers and students, media Personnel, poets, important dignitaries and others.

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