| Recently, the marking of the yearly ‘World Press Freedom Day’ dominated the mass media. The event was set aside by the United Nations, for the sanctification of the freedom of the press and expression,usually midwifed by journalism, a profession which engages journalists. Emphatically, the day is occasioned by appraisals of the performance and particularities of the information media etc. In Nigeria, the so-called Africa’s oversize country and biggest democracy, the event is replete with professes by all and sundry, particularly elected public office holders and policy makers. To the effect, Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the lower lawmaking body of the country, the House of Representatives and some others had commented. Buhari, apart from pledging his support for the pen-pushing professionals and the freedom of expression to hapless Nigerians, urged journalists to ‘rededicate’ themselves to being the country’s watchdogs. Dogara alluded to the acute repression being faced in the country in the hands of its current government, as he posited that the freedom of expression ideal is not negotiable, whilst he decried the daunting challenges and rights violations faced by Nigerian journalists and the populace. But, for a government that is anti-press and draconian to its populace, it is nothing but a lip-service and pretences that it professes love to a press freedom that is not here or there. A press freedom it tries hard to stifle! While the federal government continues to feign love and respect for the press and freedom of expression, the recent refusal of President Buhari to sign into law, the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, is a case in point. Ordinarily, the bill, when signed into law, would protect the freedom of oppression and other rights of Nigerians in the online media environment. A popular weekly television talk-show, featuring journalists as discussants, recently narrated the perilous prospects and no-love-lost for journalism, journalists,freedom of information and repression of Nigerians. A notable Nigerian journalist was rather exact in his submission that the journalistic profession in the country is unrewarding and laced with grave risks. Thereby, the three other contributors further agreed that “the fourth estate of the realm”, though termed one of the noblest of professions, is contrarily the world’s riskiest. The discussion also harped on the clear roles of journalism and its watchdog principle and how it could be effectively preserved to bring about, not only a Nigeria, but also a world signposted by fair-play, freedom and justice to all. The free-flow chat and moderation envisaged how “the average journalist has to be fully empowered to carry out his Ombudsman order of safeguarding humankind”. By and large, while journalists in Nigeria are mostly seen as inept in their assigned professional duties, that is not to say that the profession in the country is not one of the world’s most vibrant, as per the pursuit of objectivity and fearlessness, by most of its practitioners. Even though Nigerian journalists work in the meanest conditions, without livable wages and unpaid salary arrears owed them! This sort of weighs them down. Despite of this, journalists still appear to be highest aggregates of committed and patriotic ones amongst the country’s professionals. An average Nigerian journalist is the one whose call to the profession is akin to one “signing a death warrant”. He is loathed by all, who sees in him a latent disdain to society’s iniquitous doings, which a journalist is ever prone to expose. Whether those in government or private life, a journalist is a “busy body” who must be kept away or silenced when he attempts and has made guided secrets open-secrets. Indeed, a journalist walks the lonely street and gives his only cold cup of water to others, while he swallows saliva. In Nigeria’s media history, the disdain and animosity for journalism and the precarious existence of its professionals once came to climax in the late 1980s, through the assassination by a letter bomb of Dele Giwa, the probing Editor-in-Chief of the Newswatch magazine, purportedly by the military government of his time. Ever since, the Nigerian journalists have known no peace, with the continuous killing, maiming, hounding and persecution of ‘the gentlemen of the press’. The International Press Centre (IFEX) and Freedom House, two main press-related global charities, with the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC), its Nigerian counterparts, continually appraise the situation with periodic reports on the assaults and killing of journalists and gagging of the press. With the palpable fears of clampdown and untimely deaths, many a journalist flees to ‘safe havens’ and “forced exiles”, where they may not have to face more life-threatening dangers. This aggravates brain-drain, where committed journalist and other professionals, instead of contributing their very best to their countries of births, lament about a life unfulfilled and away in exiles. For instance, in 2017 alone, the reported violence and impunity visited against hapless journalists and the press in Nigeria, even in a democratic rule, happened to have been much higher than any in Nigeria’s history, even in the military eras. These repressions had been more from the federal government of the day, with few others emanating from non-state actors. For instance, Journalist Tony Ezimakor of the Daily Independent newspaper epitomizes many others unjustly detained and later released for various alleged offences, like failure to disclose their sources of information. The last general elections in the country also happened to have witnessed the highest incidents of molestation and attacks on journalists, who monitored the conduct of the exercise. Ikechukwu Onubogu, a professional with the Anambra Broadcasting Service, According to the Premium Times, was shot dead by unknown gunmen. Same with Lawrence Okogie, a reporter with the Nigerian Television Authority, Benin City, Edo State! Also on April 16, 2017 at his residence in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Famous Giobaro of the Glory FM was severally shot in the stomach and killed by unknown gunmen. In the last general elections held in the country, outright condemnations came from around the world against reported attacks on journalists and other media practitioners by security men and political thugs. In Ebonyi state capital of Abakaliki, Charles Otu, a reporter with the Guardian newspaper, was reportedly attacked by armed political thugs, who beat him mercilessly on account of the news reports he earlier made. Around the world, reported killings, repression of journalists and hounding of the press are escalating, thus serving as bad examples for an increased spate in Nigeria. For instance, Saudi Arabia journalist and writer, Jamal Khashoggi, was found butchered while visiting a Saudi Consulate in Turkey, where he fled to, amid crackdown on dissents, by the Saudi authority, who earlier accused him of seditious publications. Saudi is a bad case of escalating repressions and killings of journalists and critical voices. With government, private organisations and individuals in the vortex of carrying out hate and repression on journalists, and those others who attack the media through quack practices and fake news, there are many other practicing journalists who attack themselves and the same freedom of expression through some unwholesome practices such as ‘self-sensor’. A case which a journalist resorts to “killing” or “distorting” or “doctoring” reports, out of favour or fear is an affront against freedom of expression. As the Nigeria country presently groans under the higher spate of insecurity, manifesting in violent extremism, kidnapping, armed robbery, kidnapping, arson, banditry, herders-farmers clashes etc., Yakubu Dogara, the Reps speaker, was right in his enjoining journalists to rise up to help minimize against these and other ills. He was also on valid points that the Nigerian government creates an enabling environment for journalists to practice its watchdog role, in guaranteeing a safer Nigerian society. Tony Erha, a journalist and activist, writes from Abuja-FCT. Attachments areaReplyForward |
Journalism as everybody’s enemy, by Tony Erha
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