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The State of Freedom of the Press in Nigeria

By Ndatam Afego

Legac^y Computer Institute, Kaduna – Nigeria

Ni^geria is the most populous black nation in the world. With a population of about 140 million people, it is a country that stands out as a ^giant. It prides itself with a stron^g virile economy, vast human and material resources and a positive ima^ge in the committee of nations. With all these credentials, one would expect that the mass media in Ni^geria will be free and ^green.

Embarkin^g on an excursion trip to verify the level of press freedom was quite revealin^g, excitin^g and shockin^g.

Accordin^g to one of the resource persons, Tukur Abdulrahman, who happens to be the editor of ‘New Ni^gerian Newspapers’, “Ni^geria experiences press freedom”. To him the ^government in Ni^geria has a policy that supports press freedom. He went further to explain that the freedom of press is not absolute as it stops at the point where the freedom of another party starts. He however pointed out that press freedom is relative and depends lar^gely on the assessment of each individual.

The weekly editor of the same newspaper, Alhaji Zakari Adamu believes press freedom exists in Ni^geria and that the Ni^gerian constitution has certain provisions that ^give the press such freedom. “Such freedom, without doubts, has limits”, he added.

Another experienced journalist, Mr. Theophilus Abba, the editor of champion

newspapers shared his opinion. He said that Ni^geria boasts of the best and most free press in Africa. In his opinion, the Ni^gerian ^government appreciates and embraces the press. The fact remains that most a times the press is free and is seen to criticize certain ^government policies and programs. And sometimes they do this without any correspondin^g arrest or threat by the ^government. Mr. Theophilus however was quick to draw a line between press freedom and press intimidation.

 

In Ni^geria, you find situations where the ^government uses its security a^gencies to harass intimidate and browbeat the press. Sometimes journalists are picked up for questionin^g over stories that may be offensive to the ^government. At other times you find journalists bein^g whisked away and detained because they are seen to portray the ^government, or certain ‘sacred cows’, in bad li^ght. Situations persist where the force or instrument of intimidation is utilized to ensure that the press is made to be quiet about certain issues.

Accordin^g to the report of a media watchdo^{g g}roup, 53 press freedom violations have been re^gistered in Ni^geria in 2006 alone. Ni^gerian journalists have been reported to have experienced harassment, intimidation and attacks. Another report of a Paris-based media freedom ^group, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), says that: “more than 20 other journalists have been placed under surveillance, expelled, suspended from work, subjected to extortion, summoned to a police station, heavily fined or subjected to other forms of harassment.” Of a truth press freedom is under attack in Ni^geria.

One of such attacks to press freedom in Ni^geria happened when three senior editors of a weekly ma^gazine, ‘insider’, were arrested and detained by police authorities in La^gos. They were accused of ‘sedition’ and ‘criminal defamation’, in connection with a story published in an edition of the ma^gazine. In the said story, they were alle^ged to have conspired to publish seditious information a^gainst Vice President Atiku and General Aliyu Gusau, national security adviser to President Oluse^gun Obasanjo, thereby commitin^g criminal defamation. Criminal defamation in Ni^geria is punishable by imprisonment.

In another similar attack on press freedom, a correspondent of an independent Ni^gerian newspaper, Ni^geria tribune, was reportedly ‘arrested, tortured and char^ged with publishin^g false information.’ The journalist had reported on the ‘crises in Kano’, where ethnic reprisal killin^gs had taken place.

A most recent assault occurred when a raid was made on the premises of two Abuja-based newspapers. The ^general mana^ger, editor and reporter of one of the newspapers

 

were picked for questionin^g over a story. The operatives of the state security services (SSS) invaded the premises of this paper. In the case of the other newspaper, ‘Abuja inquirer’, the SSS paid a rude visit to the media house and held the staff hosta^ge for some hours while it was fora^gin^g some edition of the paper that contained some ‘offendin^g’ story. The publisher and editor of the paper were taken away and detained.

There are other reports of journalists who have been attacked, harassed or even killed in the line of duty. All these however do not deny the existence of press freedom in Ni^geria. What happen most often is press intimidation, harassment and attack.

To salva^ge the nation from these repeated cases of press attacks, many journalists are of the opinion that Ni^gerians must arise to declare a support for democracy. The press believes the federal security services that are responsible for attackin^g and mistreatin^g the press will need to be put to order.

Ndatam Afe^go

Le^gacy Computer Institute Kaduna, Ni^geria.