  In public relations and political communication, a spin is a form of
propaganda achieved through knowingly presenting a biased interpretation of an
event or issues. It is also the act of presenting narratives to influence
public opinion about events, people or and ideas. In war time, various forms of
spins are employed by antagonists to push their brigades to victory and wear
out the opponents. During the Nigerian civil war, quite a number of these spins
were dominant for example GOWON (Go On With One Nigeria); On Aburi We Stand, O
Le Ku Ija Ore. Post-war years presented different spins and fifty years after
the war, different spins continue to push emerging narratives (e.g.
marginalization, restructuring. This paper investigates and analyzes the
different propaganda techniques and spins in the narratives of the Nigerian
civil in the past five years through a content analysis of three national
newspapers: The Nigerian Tribune, Daily Trust and Sun Newspapers. Findings
confirm that propaganda and spins are not limited to war time, but are actively
deployed in peace time. This development places additional challenge on
journalists to uphold the canons of balance, truth and fairness in reporting
sensitive national issues.
