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…Press the journalists to expose enemies of the freedom of the press, open society
… Freedom of the press is fundamental to upholding the rule of law, democracy and good governance
By Levinus Nwabughiogu
ABUJA-Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Yakubu Dogara criticized the administration headed by President Muhammadu Buhari, claiming that freedom of the press under the Commander-in-Chief was nothing more than a bbadity.
The President also paid tribute to the Nigerian journalists who died in active service, as well as to those who survived brutal forms of censorship, claiming that the indispensable nature of freedom of the press remained the key to sound and responsible governance.
He also instructed journalists to ensure that they do not use the powers conferred on them by the Constitution to reveal the enemies of the open society who disguise themselves as democrats and try to use the co-operation to make citizens docile and obedient.
The charges were contained in his remarks at the opening ceremony of a conference organized by the Premium Times Center for investigative journalism and the EU's Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption program on the occasion of of World Press Freedom Day 2019 in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme "Press Freedom in Nigeria – Rule of Law, Media and Violent Extremism", said Dogara. "It will not be out of place to dedicate today's protest to all journalists who have paid the highest price imprisoned for bringing information to the attention of the public or for guaranteeing the rights of the people." to know the truth about how they are governed. In 2017, the International Press Center, IPC, announced that two Nigerian journalists had been killed and documented fourteen cases of badault involving journalists and news organizations. The murdered journalists were the famous Giobaro of the Bayelsa public radio station, Glory FM 97.1, shot on April 16 this year, and Lawrence Okojie of Nigerian television in Benin, shot dead as he was returning from work on July 8 . Documented On January 19, armed police raided Premium Times premises in Abuja and arrested publisher Dapo Olorunyomi and judicial correspondent Evelyn Okakwu.
"The Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, has declared the year 2018 the deadliest for journalists in the past three years. The year 2018 was marked by the brutal and high-profile murders of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi and Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak, a Slovak journalist who was shot dead alongside his fiancé ". By the end of 2018, 348 journalists were in prison, more than half of them in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. It has also been reported that 60 journalists were held hostage around the world. Allow me, on this auspicious occasion, to salute the heroism of the journalists who died in active service and those who survived this form of brutal censorship.
"Freedom of the press, which is at the center of this celebration, is essential to uphold the principles of the rule of law, open government, democracy, peace and the order of society, To the establishment of good governance. "
Speaking on the theme of this year's celebration, Dogara said that it was very appropriate because Nigeria is currently facing one of its worst periods of insecurity, characterized violent extremism, kidnapping, cattle theft, violent conflict between pastoralists and farmers, and a deadly Nigeria campaign.
He said that insecurity is a major challenge for media professionals, who must constantly strike the right balance between informing citizens and their equally heavy responsibility to ensure that their news stories are not newsworthy. contribute to aggravate an already dangerously tense and fragile situation.
In badessing the state of government and press relations in Nigeria under the current regime, the President said, "It is fair to say that it is anything but trivial.
"We are all witnessing recurring examples of coercion, threats, brutalities, arrests, incarcerations and media closures perpetrated by the state against journalists and their institutions. Examples of these drastic measures adopted by state actors abound in recent elections held in some parts of the country and in general elections.
"These attacks on the independence of the press significantly hamper the effectiveness of the media and do not bode well for good governance and democracy. Governments must never seek to make our citizens docile and obedient, this is what repressive regimes do best, but our goal must be to keep our citizens active and informed, with the necessary skills to question questions and question answers if they wish. This is how democracies around the world are built by refusing to censor the free press and by intensifying positive conflicts. Ours can not be different.
"Let me say that freedom of the press is not negotiable and that direct violence against journalists is not the only threat. Those who attack the media as "false information" or "enemies of the people" to undermine the credibility of the press are as dangerous as those who commit acts of violence against journalists. As legislators, we will always defend journalists and media representatives who uphold the ethics of justice, objectivity, truth and patriotism in their practice.
"We hope that the 9th Assembly will devote itself to the enactment of enabling laws that will give priority to the protection and well-being of journalists, so that they can do the work of democracy.
"I must say that the press and the media in Nigeria have largely paid off their debt. He has led many memorable campaigns against tyranny and corruption. Our media professionals certainly deserve applause. But we will do better if we never stop documenting and exposing every case of oppression of a journalist by enemies of the open society who pretend to be democrats; if we never cease to insist that the journalists taken hostage and those imprisoned be released without preconditions; if we never stop demanding that those in power stop their efforts to restrict freedom of the press / freedom of expression and above all; if we continue with courage to announce the news and hold those in power accountable. "
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