Norbert Zongo: Over 200 journalists deliberate on press
freedom in Ouagadogou 'Chameleon' film by Investigative journalist,
Anas, screened in Ouagadogou Eighth edition of Norbert Zongo Freedom of
Expression Festival announced Nigeria was one of the focal points for
discussion when over 200 journalists across Africa met in Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso, for a conference on free speech and freedom of expression
in September.
The reporters met to discuss the renewed onslaught
on journalists and activists across the continent. At the end of the
conference, the reporters sent a clear message to African governments to
end attacks on journalists and free speech in their respective domains.
In
a communique signed at the end of the International Festival of Freedom
of Expression and Press (FILEP) organised by the Norbert Zongo Press
Centre (CNP-NZ), the journalists also urged some governments to release
of journalists who have been detained for carrying out their legitimate
duties.
They also urged the government to put in place deliberate
policies aimed at protecting journalists.“We condemn the incarceration
and killing of journalists in nations like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, the
Gambia, Ghana and Sierra Leone, Conakry and other African nations,” part
of the communique read.
“We condemn the arrest and murder of
several African journalists. Governments should guarantee the safety and
welfare of journalists who are the defenders of democracy.”
They
equally condemned the “tightening of policies aimed at crippling press
freedom and freedom of expression”. It urged the countries to expunge
laws that oppose the freedom of expression.
In
Nigeria, it is perhaps not the best of times to be a journalist or
civil rights activist going by the spate of attacks on freedom of the
press and speech.While attacks on Nigerian journalists is no longer a
new phenomenon, they appear to have taken a turn for concern in recent
months.
An analysis by www.pressattack.ng,
published by the Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press
Freedom, shows that 352 total cases of attacks and harassments on
journalists have been recorded from 1985 till date.
The year 2018
was initially recorded by the analysis to have witnessed the highest
number of attacks (58). But the group’s latest release shows that 2019
has already surpassed that record with the 61 attacks so far, and is
still counting.
According to the research, as at May this year,
the total number of physical attacks on reporters was 189; equipment
searches and seizures, 9; equipment or property damage, 17; arrests, 60;
denial of access, 21; threats, 44 & ‘harassments’, 12.
Of
these attacks, 322 were on media houses, while the remaining 30 were
meted on individuals. Also, 95 per cent of journalists affected were
males while the rest were females.
About 114 of such attacks were
carried out by uniformed personnel (military, police, SSS, SARS, NSCDC,
prison officials, EFCC etc). Other aggressors were union members
(3), criminals, thugs etc (56), private security outfits (18),
terrorists (9), unknown (33) and others (68).
PRESS ATTACKS The
country recently got an inglorious mention when a Nigerian journalist,
Agba Jalingo, was listed among 10 “most urgent” cases of threats to
press freedom around the world.
The list was released One Free
Press Coalition, a coalition of about 34 media organisations “standing
up for journalists under attack for pursuing the truth”,
globally.Members of this coalition include Al Jazeera, the Associated
Press, The Financial Times, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, The Washington
Post, and Voice of America.
Mr Jalingo, whose ordeal in the hand of the authorities has attracted local and foreign condemnation, is ninth on the list.
The
publisher of CrossRiverWatch is standing trial for “treason” over a
report alleging that the governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade,
diverted N500 million belonging to the state government.
Mr
Jalingo was arrested on August 22 and has been remanded in the Calabar
prison, after a federal high court judge denied him bail. Mr Jalingo,
whose appearance in cuffs during prosecution, sparked outrage, insists
he is being hounded for carrying out his legitimate duties as a
journalist.
Other reporters that have faced the rough end of the
authorities in recent past include Luka Biniyat, the Vanguard newspaper
Kaduna correspondent, who was accused of falsely claiming that five
students of the state College of Education were killed by Fulani
herdsmen. There was also Midat Joseph who was reportedly detained over a WhatsApp comment.
Dipo Awojobi of entertainment tabloid First Weekly Magazine was
arrested on Friday over an alleged defamatory article about a Nigerian
politician. Also, a photojournalist with the Vanguard Newspapers,
attached to the Aso Rock Villa, Abayomi Adeshida, was on Thursday
morning reportedly manhandled by security details of Vice-President Yemi
Osinbajo.
The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press
Freedom in November condemned “the growing attacks on Nigerian
journalists and the alarming trend of media censorship by state
authorities’’.
Members of the coalition include African Centre
for Media & Information Literacy, Civic Media Lab, Civil, Society
Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), Daily Trust Newspaper, International
Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), International Press Centre
(IPC), HEDA Resource Centre and Media Rights Agenda (MRA). Others are
Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), OrderPaper, Paradigm Initiative
(P.I), Premium Times (PT), Premium Times Centre for Investigative
Journalism (PTCIJ), Sahara Reporters (SR), Socio-Economic Rights and
Accountability Project (SERAP), The Cable and Wole Soyinka Centre for
Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ).
The coalition observed that
‘’public officers and influential individuals are increasingly becoming
intolerant of critical reporting and fair comments by journalists.’’
It
said such officers now resort to the use of instruments of state
criminal justice system to suppress freedom of expression and free
press. “From January 2019 till date, we have recorded 61 attacks on
the media, including arrests, intimidation, detention and killings. We,
as a coalition, totally condemn this abuse of power by state actors and
security agencies,” the coalition noted.It also flayed the judiciary for
standing idle while the executive trampled on free speech and the
media.
“Some sections of the Judiciary, as a consequence of its
lack of independence, have become willing tools in the hands of state
and federal governments by granting judicial approvals that stifle free
speech,” the coalition added.It listed some journalists, who are
presently being prosecuted by the state as Jones Abiri, Mr Jalingo and
Nasir Ahmad.
Efforts to get presidential spokespersons, Garba
Shehu and Femi Adesina, to comment on the report were unsuccessful. The
two officials did not respond to text messages requesting comments.Also,
Mr Shehu did not pick his call on Friday, 4 p.m while Mr Adesina’s line
did not connect after numerous attempts.
Tightening noose A
senator, Mohammed Sani Musa, on Tuesday, introduced a bill he said
‘’will help regulate posts on social media as well as curb fake news on
the internet’’.Some analysts already see the move as a further attempt
to curb free speech.
The bill, ‘Protection from Internet
Falsehood and Manipulations Bill, 2019’ comes years after a similar
social media bill introduced in the eighth Senate, sparked outrage
across the country.
The former bill titled “A Bill for an Act to
Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected therewith”,
sponsored by Bala Ibn Na’Allah sought to compel critics to accompany
their petitions with sworn court affidavit, or face six months
imprisonment upon conviction.
The bill had scaled through second reading when President Buhari distanced himself from the bill. The president had said then he will not assent to any anti-social media bill as he “is committed to free speech”.
If
the bill had passed into law, people found guilty of making false
remarks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other similar media, would
have faced a two-year jail term or N2 million fine. The parliament was forced to withdraw the bill. It is not yet certain the fate of the current bill, although it has started generating opposition. Concerns
For human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, there is cause for concern as the media is under threat. Mr Falana said the attack on free press in the country ‘’is over a third term agenda being nursed by the FederalGovernment’’.
Mr
Falana spoke in Lagos on Thursday at the public presentation of a book,
Testimony to Courage, essays in honour of Premium Times publisher, Dapo
Olorunyomi.
“The media must not be silenced.You may have a third
term campaign soon. Very soon, they will destroy all possible
opponents. And by the time they bring in the third term agenda, the
media would have been gone. But we are not going to allow it. No
dictatorship can defeat the Nigerian people,” he said.
Ruth Tene
Natsa, Editorial Director, Leadership Newspaper, (MDAs Monthly) said the
press has not fared well under the current administration. ‘’Unfortunately,
the press cannot be said to have fared well, considering recent attacks
by various authorities on the media both locally and internationally,’’
she said.
‘’In recent times we have recorded the killing of Washington Post, Jamal Kashioggie which has remains unsolved.
In
Nigeria, here we have witnessed journalists harassed for daring to
speak the truth such as was the case of Fisayo Soyombo who exposed the
rot in the nation’s criminal systems.’’She said even ‘’Jalingo Agba who
dared to speak against the corruption in Cross River was led in chains
like a criminal to court’’.
‘’The case of Stephen Kefas who was
in prison for 139 days and Luka Biniyat who were locked up by Kaduna
State Governor are not issues we can easily forget. These are among a
few of the harassments journalists face,’’ she adds.
However,
Sumner Sambo, political editor, News Central Television, said ‘’press
freedom in Nigeria is relatively guaranteed though some journalists have
got into trouble with some public office holders and politicians of
recent’’.
‘’The contentious issue for me, however, is whether
journalists are also obeying their professional ethics by not demeaning
themselve into allowing social media gossips or news enthusiasts known
as bloggers to provide direction for their daily reportage and duties,’’
he adds.
He said while the cases of Agba Jalingo and Jones
Abiri “are a clear betrayal of trust by the political leaders that kept
them in detention using legal tactics to prevent their obtaining bail,
nonetheless, journalists must also work within the confines of the laws
of Nigeria as they are no special citizens.’’He said reporters should
not give the authorities leeway to attack them.
“The easiest way
to be locked up now by those in government or powerful people in society
is through the publication of unverified information or fake news, but
any Nigerian journalist who balances his or her story with facts and
sources has nothing to fear, even if detained or their stories are
declared as “fake news” as part of a witch hunt,’’ Mr Sambo said. Other views
‘’Although
there is a temptation to think that the press is worse off now than it
has ever been since the restoration of civilian rule in Nigeria, the
facts show that it isn’t that simple,’’ Farooq Kperogi, Associate
Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media at Kennesaw State University
tells PREMIUM TIMES.
He says the news media is muzzled and
freedom of speech is under sustained assault in the current Buhari
regime, ‘’but civilian administrations that preceded his aren’t
qualitatively better, either.’’
‘’Human beings have a
predilection to live in the moment, to be chrono-centric, and to wipe
out unpleasant memories that recede further into the past, but those of
us who chronicle fleeting moments for a living can’t afford the luxury
of historical amnesia,’’ Mr Kperogi said.
‘’As I look over my
past articles, I realise that I railed against the strangulation of the
media and of free speech in Obasanjo,Yar’adua &Jonathan’s
administrations with the same vigour & disgust as I do now.Just like
during Buhari’s current fascistic regime, Jonathan’s administration
sent soldiers to invade a newspaper house. It also once instructed
soldiers to seize vans distributing newspapers.
‘’In fact, the
so-called cybercrime law being used now to clamp down on social media
activists was enacted during Jonathan’s administration. The truth is
that when it comes to free speech and toleration of dissent, no past or
present civilian regime in Nigeria is better or worse than the other,’’
the professor added.
A security analyst, Demola Bakare weighs
in.He said ‘’the practice of journalism in this dispensat- ion seems to
be expanding on the surface but not in rigour and depth.’’He alluded to
the need for responsible journalism.
‘’Most journalists nowadays
just want press freedom without press responsibility,’’ he said. Of a
truth, we have quite a lot of the moments of (press) vigilance and
progressive (action).
‘’The press should objectively facilitate
the work of government, setting agenda and contributing positively to
good governance. Development minded press is needed,’’ he added.He also
warned against fake news, hate speech and flagrant partisan disposition
of some journalists/segment of the press.
‘’Press should be for
engagement not antagonism or impulsive “naysaying” opposition. The
moment some senior journalists are not in government or have access,
they wear the robe of opposition,’’ he adds.
Also, Haruna
Abdullahi, the publisher, World Entourage Magazine said press freedom
has been given the desired room of liberty, ‘’especially in recent
times."
‘’We may have had pockets of authority-media ‘squabbles’
here and there but it can’t be concluded that journalists in Nigeria
face a hostile environment,’’ he said. ‘’Class of occupation may have
been witnessed when security forces frown at territorial incursion by
media people, and this cannot be tagged as press hostility.’’
He
also said society grows when the press and associate stakeholders follow
the rules of engagement ‘’by sticking to ethical provisions and the
authority on its part respect the creed of governance’’.
‘’The
press of recent has enjoyed significant freedom in practice &
existence.This cordiality should be maintained and sustained as we all
move to make Nigeria great.’’
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