Nigeria Denies Press Freedom Standing, Insists Its Journalists Are Among World’s Freest
The government of Nigeria has rejected Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) ranking of Nigerian press freedom. Nigeria is currently ranked 120th out of 180 countries, with press freedom highly restricted by President Muhammadu Buhari and a 2015 cyber-crime law that is used to arbitrarily arrest and prosecute journalists and bloggers. Additionally, government leaders have used their powers to have newsrooms razed or journalists attacked and killed when their choices, power, or authority are questioned.
Nigeria’s minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, denies these allegations and insists that Nigeria’s press is among the most vibrant in the world.
Titus Badejo
"I disagree vehemently with the assessment, because it is unfounded and has no scientific basis. I have been the Minister [of Information and Culture] since 2015, so I know the state of press freedom in Nigeria," Mohammed said to members of the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI). "For example, on the issue of ethics, is it part of the ethics of journalism for a media organisation to function like an opposition party, seeing nothing good in the government of the day and only reporting bad news?"
On the issue of ethics, the state of Nigeria has a less than perfect record against journalists. Titus Badejo, a Nigerian journalist, was murdered by an unknown gunman in spring of 2021, shortly after the Nigerian government introduced a ban on using Twitter. Badejo, a radio presenter with Naija FM in Ibadan, Oyo State, was forced out of his car, along with friends. The gunmen shot only him, execution-style, and left his friends alone. Shortly after, journalist Peter Nkanga was the target of several death threats following the airing of the documentary Nigeria’s Ordinary President. Nkanga has since gone into hiding for his safety.
The governor of Kano State also made such a commotion against Jaafar Jaafar, the publisher of Daily Nigeria, that Jaafar has also gone into hiding out of fear for his own safety. Police attempted to arrest Jaafar in a raid on headquarters for “criminal conspiracy, defamation, injurious falsehood and inciting violence against the Inspector General of Police.” Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of Kano State, had ordered police to “deal with” journalists after a series of videos uncovered in 2018 showed Ganduje accepting bribes while occupying his position of power.
Attacks on journalists in the country continued throughout 2021 and do not appear to be abating. Two Enugu state broadcasters, Fredrick Nnaji and Chigozie Nwafor, were briefly abducted and beaten by four unidentified men. The two journalists managed to escape their attackers on foot. Enugu state police have claimed investigations are ongoing into the attacks, but as of April 16, 2022, no parties have been held accountable for the attacks.
The deterioration of press freedoms in Nigeria is well documented, as the nation stands in stark contrast to several of its West African neighbors when it comes to journalists. IPI Nigeria’s secretary, Ahmed I. Shekarau, announced that the organization would be opening a “black book” approach to finding perpetrators who allow press freedoms to falter. The “book” would “document every individual whose action or inaction encourages or allows the harassment of journalists and the media in Nigeria.” This shared information is one such step on the path to greater press freedoms in Nigeria.
