Nigeria, March 10 -- The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates warned that lies are not harmless distortions of reality; they are assaults on truth itself. Falsehood, he argued, is destructive because it murders truth and corrupts the moral order. Permit me to use his exact words, to wit: "The punishment for a liar is not being believed, even when telling the truth." His disciple, Plato, carried the argument further.

In The Republic, Plato cautioned that the gravest danger to society comes when those entrusted with public responsibility lose their fidelity to truth. When leaders manipulate truth, the foundations of public trust collapse.

These classical insights provide a useful entry point into the recent outing of Daniel Bwala, Special ...