NIGERIANS are still not enjoying most of the freedoms associated with democracy 24 years into the Fourth Republic. A new report detailing over 70 attacks on journalists between January and August, which has just been released by a coalition of NGOs led by Press Attacks Tracker, substantiates this. The highest number of 69 occurred in February and March, which coincided with the 2023 general elections. Evidently, journalists still bear the brunt of Nigeria’s fractious elections and the excesses of the political class and their violent hirelings.
The Press Tracker, in collaboration with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, documented 74 attacks in the period under review. This is the highest number of violations since 1987, when Nigeria was under military dictatorship. There were 42 attacks in February, followed by 27 in March. The attacks dropped drastically after the elections as April and May had one each, with two in January.
This is another damning verdict on Nigeria’s elections. Politicians are guilty of undermining media freedoms, especially during elections. Many journalists and observers like Dayo Aiyetan of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (Abuja) and Haruna Muhammed of Wikki Times in Bauchi State were attacked for recording incidents of vote-buying and manipulation during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections. Others had their devices destroyed or were attacked by political thugs.
The worst region to work as a journalist during the polls was in the North-Central, where 27 incidents occurred. The South-West recorded 22, the South-East 11, and North-East, eight. There were 72 such attacks on the media in 2019.
This is another grim commentary on Nigeria’s frail democratic culture. According to the 2023 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, Nigeria finished at No.123 with a lowly 49.56 score out of 180 countries ranked. Even among African countries, this is woeful. Namibia was top at No.22, and South Africa No.25. Nigeria ranked No.129 in 2022.
The violations are encouraged by politicians, using the security agencies and public institutions. Under then President Muhammadu Buhari, his Minister of Information, Lai Muhammed, repeatedly nudged the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission to impose fines on broadcast organisations.
Then, the media worked in a climate of fear. In cahoots with the NASS, Muhammed sponsored frivolous bills against media freedoms. After the #EndSARS protests of 2020, Nigeria, like some other repressive countries, accused microblogging site, Twitter (now X) of supporting subversion, and suspended it.
This is an anathema in a democracy. The 1999 Constitution expressly guarantees freedom of the press in Section 39. But on many occasions, state governors, the police and the Department of State Services, summarily arrested and detained media professionals.
It replicates the repressive era of military dictatorship. Under Buhari as military head of state 1984-85, the media worked in fear because of Decree 4, which was used to imprison two journalists from The Guardian. Under the brutal Sani Abacha junta 1993-98, journalists regularly suffered attacks and long periods of detention. Bagauda Kaltho was bombed in Kaduna; many fled abroad.
In contrast, the Scandinavia is the best region to practise journalism. Norway, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland take the top marks. The worst include Turkmenistan, Iran, Vietnam, China, and North Korea.
Nigeria’s political class should stop undermining the country’s democracy with their impunity and win at-all-costs attitude.
There is an ongoing controversy over the rejection of some media houses from covering the Presidential Villa in Abuja. This is a bad starting signal from President Bola Tinubu. He and the state governors should wean themselves of the vestiges of military dictatorship.
The police, the DSS and the military should obey the law on media practice, go to court when they are aggrieved and promptly release detainees when the courts grant them bail.
