Tape on Democracy’s Mouth: The Fourth Realm’s Passion and Peril - Abioye Tosin Lawrence

Once upon a breaking news banner, the publisher was a hero,  the voice of the voiceless, the truth-warrior in borrowed blazers, sometimes even getting "excellency" a new nickname trending. Politicians smiled for the cameras and clapped for interviews that made them look like visionaries. The publisher? A ‘fine boy’ with a press pass, a seat at the high table, and maybe a handshake or two from the corridors of power.

But like all Nigerian stories with too much clapping, the music changed.

Suddenly, the same pen that once massaged political egos decided to scribble truth where it stings. It stopped calling the looter a philanthropist and dared to label the emperor naked, and just like that, the fine boy became an enemy of progress. Or, in the more legalese version: a publisher "intent on damaging reputations."

Ah yes, the Fourth Realm. Once feared, now flogged. A space that should be the conscience of the nation now wears handcuffs when it won't wear a muzzle. Publishers are warned: write what we like or write your own warrant. Investigate, but not too deep, we wouldn’t want you falling into a pit of “national security concerns,” would we?

When the publisher asked tough questions, they said, “Why are you always negative?”

When the publisher exposed fraud, they replied, “He must be paid by our enemies.”

And when the media refused to be bought, they were branded as bitter, hungry, or worse opposition sympathizers.

But let it be known: it is not hatred that drives the pen, but hunger, not for food, but for truth. For justice. For a country where truth isn't seasonal and praise isn't transactional.

So to the powers who once hailed the publisher and now hurl petitions: remember, mirrors don’t lie. You only loved your reflection when it lied to you.

And to the public watching, remember this: when truth is handcuffed, you’re not just silencing a publisher, you’re putting duct tape on democracy’s mouth.