The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has said that Nigeria is backward when it comes to press freedom.
According to the group, several journalists were harassed during the conduct of the 2019 general elections describing the situation as unfortunate.
A statement issued by the Director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, said despite the signing into law, the freedom of information act, press freedom was still elusive in Nigeria.
“Many journalists have been arrested and charged under the 2015 Nigeria’s cyber-crime act and anti-terrorism law for allegedly defaming and harassing top government officials. We have also witnessed a prosecution of a journalists under the penal code related to sexual assault and murder for a refusal to disclose a source of a story on the activities of top government officials.
“Most brazenly was freezing of journalists’ accounts to frustrate and traumatize them into complying to their (security forces) bidding. Rash invasion, confiscation of properties and unlawful closure of media houses were also obvious attempts to cow journalists from objective reporting of government activities and holding them (government) accountable.
“During the 2019 Nigeria general elections, many journalists were attacked and, in some cases, killed.
The gruesome experience during Kano State during the 2019 supplementary governorship elections that witnessed barefaced assault and harassment of journalists in Gama Ward of Nasarawa LGA, amongst others, typified a disruptive state of press freedom in the country.
“Unfortunately, Nigeria has had its share of the number of journalists death recorded globally. In the last two decades, at least 10 Nigerian journalists have been murdered with impunity by unidentified assailant, mob, security personnel, etc. while carrying out their constitutional mandate.
“No doubt, these are clear cases of an attack on freedom of speech and freedom of the press, the pillars upon which any democracy must be built, but it is regrettable that investigation into these cases by the security personnel has not yielded any meaningful outcome.
“The extent to which the media perform its “watchdog” role in a democracy predicates on the state of press freedom in a country. The media advances the democratic value and such laudable role cannot be effectively delivered in an atmosphere of threats, harassments and assaults.
“The celebration of the 2019 Press Freedom Day is a wake-up call to the government, ” CDD said, calling for an end to the constant attempt to intimidate and undermine press freedom.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should immediately order the release of detained journalists and media executives, held captive for doing their job. The protection of source is a sacred trust journalist must uphold. The press has the right to protect the secrecy of informants’ information as guaranteed by the laws of the country.
“Proper investigation into murder of journalists and attacks on media houses in the country. The law enforcement agencies should put an end to the delayed justice by ensuring that those culpable of the offences face the wrath of law,” the statement said, but could not mentioned names.
Also, CDD, while commending the efforts of the press, urged the Fourth Estate to be weary of spreading, promoting or escalating fake news and propaganda that could fuel hatred and division among the people.
Meanwhile, in commemoration of the 2019 World Press Freedom Day, the United States Consulate General in Lagos has charged the Nigeria media to hold the government more accountable in its reportage with a view to promoting democratic tenets in the country.
Speaking at a forum organised the United States Consulate General in Lagos in partnership with the School of Media and Communications, Pan-Atlantic University, the US Consulate-General Public Affairs Officer, Russell Brooks reiterated that one of the goals of the US mission is to promote democracy and strengthen democratic institutions here in Nigeria and around the world.
Brooks said that it was important to utilize the World Press Freedom Day to honour colleagues in the media and know what they were doing to uphold democracy.
“A free and responsible press is part of promoting democracy and the media represents the fourth estate of any democracy.
“We are all familiar with the executive, judiciary and legislative branch therefore, it is crucial that the media plays a significant role in holding the other three branches accountable,” he said.
The US embassy urged journalists to double check their sources of information before publishing stories in other to avoid promoting fake news and for government to do more to protect journalists from harm’s way.
Delivering a keynote address titled, “Are we really Free? How the Media Landscape Impacts the Mission of Today’s Journalist,” to an audience of journalists and students of the institution, a Professor of Broadcast Journalism at Howard University and a former CNN reporter and producer, Prof. Jennifer Thomas, said safety in journalism is paramount. Calling out the government to ensure safety of journalists doing their jobs, Thomas lamented that too many journalists die in the line of duty doing their jobs to defend democracy, saying such disheartening.
“International organizations like the United Nations (UN) and UNESCO amongst others were currently doing a lot to ensure the safety of journalists.
“Journalists are the defenders of democracy, freedom fighters of the first amendments as well as savvy and sophisticated storytellers, they need to be protected.” She urged the members of the press to double check information source to avoid promoting fake news because what they do is important to democracy for every nation around the world.