COVERAGE OF CORRUPTION SCANDALS IN THE NIGERIAN PRESS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN NEWSPAPERS BY MUHAMMAD JAMEEL YUSHA'U (050211416) A THESIS FORUM DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD UNITED KINGDOM % DECEMBER, 2009 ABSTRACT This research is about the coverage of corruption scandals in the Nigerian press. It is a comparative study that develops an intra-national framework for the study of the Nigerian media system using corruption scandals.The scandalsstudied are the Petroleum Technology DevelopmentFund (PTDF) scandaland the Former Governors Scandal. The study used both interviews and qualitative content analysis by meansof critical discourseanalysis. The results of the study suggest that the press in Nigeria is regionally and ethnically divided. These factors influence the way the pressreport issuesincluding corruption scandals.The study also suggeststhat factors like clientelism, regionalism, corruption within the press, and lack of training are among the challenges faced by the Nigerian press. It is the position of this study that the press in Nigeria is active in reporting stories about corruption scandals,but has not done enough when it comes to the application of such aspects of journalistic practice like investigative journalism which contributes in the watchdog role of the media. The study concludesby suggestingareas for further research. 2 DEDICATION This thesis is dedicatedto my parents: Malam Yusha'u Yusuf Abdurra'uf & Hajiya Sa'adatu AnasYusha'u And my beloved wife Hauwa Sarkina Shehu Daughter Asma Thank you all for your genuine love and support 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to Almighty Allah for giving me the opportunity to see the conclusion of this work. I would like to first of all acknowledge the contribution of Dr John Steel, my supervisor for providing direction, advice, and critical analysis of the whole work. He has been an excellent supervisor to work with. Apart from the supervision, he has been a great friend providing advice and also involving me in his teaching schedule to help in running seminarsin some of the undergraduatecourses he teachesin the department.Thank you John. Professor Ralph Negrine, the Director of Research in the department and also the second supervisor has been nice to work with. He has been involved in this research from inception. He read the first draft of the proposal I wrote when I was a masters student and suggested that I can go ahead to apply for the PhD. He also started supervising this thesis in November 2005, until Dr Karen Sanders took over the supervision in February 2006. Thank you Ralph. I am equally grateful to Dr Karen Sanderswho supervised the work, and worked so hard to ensure that I develop the framework of this research, until she left the department in late 2006. She had contributed in different capacities from the time I was enrolled in the departmentas MA student to the time she left. So thank you Karen. Professor Jackie Harrison, the current Head of Department had been wonderful. She was the first to suggestthat the departmentwill assist me with a tuition fee waiver when she was the Acting Director of Researchin 2005, so that I can pay the home fee equivalent. That was a critical moment, which assisted me greatly to pursue the path of acquiring a PhD. I am grateful Jackie. Dr Martin Conboy introduced me to critical discourse analysis which I used 4 in a section of the thesis. He also recommendedsome conferencesto me which I found very useful. Thank you Martin. The Department of Journalism Studies has been a great supporter. Apart from the tuition fee waiver, the department has sponsoredme to attend a number of conferencesin the United Kingdom and other countries within and outside Europe. Many of the staff members have engagedme in invigilation work, marking of scripts etc. The students I taught in the seminar classeshave been respectful and nice to engagewith. I have to mention Susie Whitelam who had been very supportive. Other departmentalstaffs like Amanda, Cecilia, Hedrian etc have contributed in one way or the other. I am equally grateful to Mrs Barbara Wild of the Accommodation and Campus Service for being helpful from the time I came to Sheffield until her retirement from service. Thank you all. I am grateful to Bayero University, Kano where I work as a lecturer for providing me with the fellowship to pursue this study, and the McArthur foundation programme in the university which assistedme with part of my living expenses.Some names have to be acknowledged here. The Vice Chancellor Professor Attahiru Jega, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) ProfessorKabeer Bichi, the former Head of Mass communications DepartmentMalara Gausu Ahmed, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, Professor Yahuza Bello, Dr Yusuf Adamu and Dr Abdurrahman Adam. I equally appreciatethe well wishes of my colleagues and teachers in the Department of Mass Communications BUK, Malara Balarabe Maikaba, Dr Mustapha Nasir Malam, Dr Umar Farouk Jibril, Malama Hadiza Ibrahim, Malama Binta Sulaiman, Malara Haruna Isma'il, Malara Bashir Ali, Malam Sulaiman `Yaraduwa, Malam Usman Abubakar, Malara Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi, Malama Hajara Umar Sanda,Malara Ali Liman Abubakar, Malara Gambo Nababa and Malara Muhammad Sani Ashraf. 5 The Kano State Government provided me with the top up fee for three years to pursue this research. I am therefore grateful to his Excellency the Governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau,and the staff of Kano State Scholarship Board for their contribution. Two individuals deserveto be mentioned here. ProfessorAbdalla Uba Adamu and Malam Ibrahim Ado Kurawa. No words are enough to say thank you. They did everything possible to secure the top up fee from the state government and provided moral support in different ways. Equally outstanding are Malam Ghazali Abdullahi and my brother Muntaqa, their support is invaluable. They did all the follow up at the Kano State Scholarship Board to ensurethat the tuition fee has been paid to Sheffield University. Dr Abubakar Alhassan deservesspecial mention here. He has assistedme in different ways with suggestions and materials. Space will not allow me to mention everyone. But I appreciate the well wishes of the following: Jamilah Tangaza, Sulaiman Ibrahim Katsina, Mansur Liman, Alhadji Diori Coulibali, Aichatou Moussa, Ahmad Abba Abdullahi, Aminu Abdulkadir, Muhammad Ahmad and Suwaiba Ahmad, all of them my colleaguesat the BBC World Service. I met a lot of wonderful people in Sheffield some of them from Nigeria, and others from different parts of the world, other friends from Nigeria have also been in touch to enquire about my progress.They include: Malara Kabir Abdu and family, Sulaiman Baba and family, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad and family, Jamal Abdessalam,Dr Aminu Kasarawaand family, Dr Bello Inuwa and family, Dr Amin Zauro, Malam Ado Mukhar Bichi, Hassan Sani, Dr Omer Elhamdoon, brother Murtaza Awan and his Family, Dr Kamal and his family, Uncle Abu Abrar and his family, Nabeel Nasser, Yusuf Bacon (James),Dawud Parr, Debora Green, Will 6 Lamb, Abdurrazaq Bohager, brother Rajab, Sheikh Abu Abdurrahman, Sheikh Nasr Yaqub, Uncle Yardim and his family, Usman Umar Fari, Kabir Abdu, Umar Hashidu, Dr Usman Abdullahi, Dr Dahiru Garkuwa and family, Dr Farouk Sarkin Fada, Dr Mahmoud Garba, brother Nasiru tsafe, Gillian Belben, Tijjani Rufa'i, Gwadabe Kurawa, Dauda M Kontagora, Ahmad Pate,Dr Mamman Lawan Yusufari, Nafi'u Hussein, Abul Masakin, Dr Ibrahim Idris, Dr Saminu Bala, Aliyu S Barau, Isma'il Garba, Mustapha Ahmed, Shamsu Salim, Shamsudden Mohammad, Saleh Yamusa, Adamu Umar Alkalee, Mujahid Aminuddeen, Baba Sani, Malam Jula, Usman Adamu Joji, Malam Muhammad Sanusi,, Alhaji Garba Sani, Hajiya Safya, Alhaji Mustapha Shettima and family, Mama iya and family etc. I appreciate your friendship. The following people have contributed in one way or the other during my fieldwork Habeeb Pindiga, Aliyu Abubakar, Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi, Aminu Garba Dafe, Aminu Garba, Dr , Haruna Wakili and the entire journalists who agreed to particpate in the interviews. I appreciate the gesture of two of my brothers, Mujahid and Abbas, they served as research assistantsby transcribing the interviews conducted, and photocopied the newspapersused in the research. My colleaguesCarla, Monica, Ali, Panday,Terki, Osama,Kobby etc have been nice to work with. Your company as PhD studentsalways reminds one that he is not alone, and the jokes and worries that we sharedtogether were also part of the processthat made life as a research student more interesting. Special thanks to my parents to whom this thesis is dedicated, and the entire members of my family, Nafisa, Anas, Abdurrahman, Sumayya, Hafsa and Ruqayya. Same to my uncles 7 Malara Idris Yusuf, Baba Saleh and Baba Haruna. My parents in law Alhaji Ibrahim Sarkina and Hajiya Adama Sarkina have always extend their goodwill to us, so is Baba Fan, Wakili, Hadiza, Anti Maimuna, Alhaji Muhammad Hassan Yakasai and their children especially Mira and Nana. Thank you all. And to my sweetheart,my beloved wife Hauwa, thank you for your patience and support, nobody experiencedthe frustration of being a PhD student like you and my daughter Asma, yet you endured and never got tired of providing support. To you I say your patience, support and endurance Your smile, cheerfulnessand perseverance Your kindness,grace and tolerance Your care compassionand diligence Made my heart to you always a palace Spacemany not allow me to mention every one, so if I miss any name, it is not deliberate, and I apologise in advance. Finally, special thanks to Dr Herman Wasserman (Sheffield University) and Dr Winston Mano (University of Westminster) for accepting to serve as examinersfor the thesis. I remain grateful. Jameel December,2009 (miyushau2yahoo. com) 8 OUTPUT FROM THE THESIS PUBLICATION(s) Yusha'u, M. J (2009): "Investigative Journalism and Scandal Reporting in the Nigerian Press".Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies.Volume 30 (2) pp.