Tony Momoh facts for kids

Prince Tony Momoh (born April 27, 1939 – died February 1, 2021) was a famous Nigerian journalist and politician. He served as Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture from 1986 to 1990. This was during the time when General Ibrahim Babangida led the country.

Early Life and School Days

Tony Momoh was born on April 27, 1939, in Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria. He came from the Edo people. Interestingly, he was the 165th child of King Momoh I of Auchi.

He went to Government School Auchi from 1949 to 1954. After that, he attended Anglican School Okpe in 1954. He also worked as a pupil teacher and later as a headmaster in Anglican schools.

Later, he went to Provincial Teachers Training College and Government Teachers College. While working at the Daily Times, he studied Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He also studied law at the University of Lagos. In 1975, he became a lawyer after attending the Nigerian Law School.

Tony Momoh: A Journalist's Journey

Tony Momoh started his career in journalism in October 1962. He worked as a sub-editor at the Daily Times. He worked his way up and became the Editor and deputy general manager by 1976.

In 1979, when Nigeria was moving from military to civilian rule, Momoh shared his thoughts. He said that the five people running for president were all quite similar.

In 1981, the Senate of Nigeria called Momoh to answer for something they called "contempt." This led to a big legal case. Momoh successfully argued that as a journalist, the country's main rules (the Constitution of Nigeria) allowed him to make the government answerable to the people.

In a case from 1982, it was decided that a person could refuse to say where they got their information. However, in a later case in 1983, the court said that newspapers do not have special protection. They might have to share their sources in some situations.

Serving as a Minister

General Ibrahim Babangida chose Tony Momoh to be the Minister of Information and Culture. He held this important job from September 1986 until 1990. As Minister, he was in charge of how the government shared information with the public. He also led the African Conference of Information Ministers from 1988 to 1990.

In 1986, a journalist named Dele Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb. At first, Momoh promised that the government would investigate. But later, he said that a special investigation would not be helpful.

In 1987, Momoh spoke at a meeting in Lagos. He said that radio, television, and newspapers should help bring the country together. In 1988, he announced that the government was looking for special radios. These radios would only receive approved broadcasts from government stations. This was to make sure people got the right information about the country.

In 1990, Momoh spoke about Nigeria's rich culture. He said that British and American styles of democracy did not work well in Nigeria. This was because they did not fit with local cultures. He mentioned that Nigeria was creating its own system of democracy.

He also talked about how the government helped local groups and political parties with money and other things. He believed this would stop rich and powerful people from controlling them. He said that spending money on democracy was better than having one person rule the whole country.

Eventually, General Babangida replaced Momoh with Alex Akinyele.

Life After Being a Minister

After his time as a minister, Tony Momoh took on other important roles. From 1991 to 1993, he was the Chairman of the board of directors for Nigerian Airways. He also became a member of the Edo State Economic Advisory Committee in 1991. In 1992, he joined the Nigerian Press Council.

By 1996, Momoh was one of the directors of the Newswatch magazine. This magazine was very popular across Africa, Europe, and North America.

In 1999, he worked for the Alex Ekwueme Presidential Campaign. He also helped with elections for governors and state lawmakers. He was the Chairman of Media and Publicity for the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) in the 2003 and 2007 elections. He also led the Political Committee for the Muhammadu Buhari Organisation.

In January 2011, Tony Momoh became the Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) party. He said that the party would not let anyone run for office if they were involved in unfair practices.

After the 2011 elections, Momoh said that there had been a lot of cheating. However, he believed the CPC was a strong movement that would grow and achieve its goals.

Tony Momoh passed away on February 1, 2021, after a short illness.