By Paul Efiong
Section 25 of the Federal Constitution of Nigeria which came into existence on October 1st 1963 guarantees the right of an individual or citizen to receive and imparts information without inhibition, it also legalized an individual’s right to establish media organizations for the purpose of disseminating information. Again, the 1999 Constitution in Chapter 11 sub-section 22 states: “The press, Radio, television and other agencies of the Mass Media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in the chapter and to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.’’
Although, the press can never experience total freedom, in advanced democracies where liberation theory of the press is operational, the media has the constitutional obligation of setting agenda for the people and the government as well as engaging such in constructive criticism without harassment and threat.
The Media is the watch dog, mirror and conscience of the nation. A country that gags the media is destroying the voice of the dissent. The Constitution and the Freedom of Information Act guarantee the freedom of the press and expression, after all objective criticism of public officials, government policies and actions are an act of patriotism.
In the words of a former president of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson, if he were asked to choose between a government without a newspaper or newspaper without a government, he would not hesitate to choose the later. No wonder the USA mass media remains till date a symbol of freedom and democracy.
The power of the press is immense that even great Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte acknowledged it when he declared: ‘Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than two thousand bayonets’ yes, pen is indeed mightier than swords.
President Muhammadu Buhari should endeavor to keep his promise to the media during electioneering campaigns, Buhari promised to create a conducive and friendly working atmosphere for media organizations in the country to operate. The press has paid its dues as he had faced several inhuman treatments before and during military era. It is on record that before the current democratic dispensation, some journalists were maimed and killed. For instance during the military regime, many journalists were arrested and detained, beaten up and killed. The brutal experience of Mineire Amarkiri in the hands of the agents of Governor Diete-Spiff of Rivers state during Gowon regime and gruesome alleged state murder of Dele Giwa are just some few to mention.
Let it be known that media had paid the supreme prize for the corporate existence of Nigeria. They bore the brunt of pushing for democracy in the country thereby sending the military along with their arsenal into barrack where they belong and should be.
The role of the media cannot be emphasized ranging from setting of agenda for the masses as well as ability to change people perception on certain national issues, for instance, in the United States of America and in Nigeria to mention but few, mass media have a powerful influence on people psyche particularly during electioneering campaign as to their civic responsibility.
The Nigerian press, right from the days of the West African Pilot(1930), Daily News Sketch(1980s) Tempo (1990s) to the Newspeg of today have been at the vanguard of popular protest against oppression. A good example is Dr. Namdi Azikiwe’s West African Pilot that confronted the colonial authorities.
All the laws, whether it was the colonial Seditious Offences Ordinance of 1909, the precursor of the notorious Public Officers (Protection Against False Accusation) Decree No 4 of 1984 ) or even the Nigerian Press Council Act recently nullified by the Federal High Court, were enacted to repress the press and prevent criticism of the government in power. While one must commend some of our judges who have handed down courageous judgments in favour of press freedom, such as the judge in Nwankwo v The State (which held that sections 50 and 51 of the Criminal Code are unconstitutional), it must never be forgotten that some repressive laws are still being used by the state to harass and intimidate journalists. In our democracy the fourth republic journalists were charged with criminal sedition for publishing story indicating that presidential jets were not new but refurbished.
Some may argue that if politicians own media outfits that in itself may help to deepen democracy as opposition may blossom on that account. But that argument would seem to gloss over the fact that divisions among the politicians are really never on issues concerning the common welfare of the people but on how one faction of the ruling elite may gain the upper hand in the control and sharing of offices and booties of those offices. That sort of fight can never deepen but destroy democracy.
For there to be true press freedom in Nigeria, Non Governmental Organizations and civil society groups and Nigerians lawyers and law makers in general must come up with ideas that would make harassment and intimidation of journalists history. They should come out with suggestions on law reforms aimed at guaranteeing access to information and freedom of the press particularly now that the Freedom of Information Act is operational, it must be allowed to be effective.
The Nigerian socio-political environment influences press freedom with adverse implications for education, information, entertainment and surveillance. A theoretical recognition of the press as the “fourth estate of the realm” connotes the capacity of the press to monitor all tiers of government (the legislature, the executive and the judiciary). However, when the state is allowed to monitors the press in Nigeria such would negate the principle of the fourth estate. Respondents largely confirmed that the press kept the public informed, entertained and enlightened, and it also set standards and established values for public conduct. Therefore, it is highly recommended that press organisations should pursue their professionalism and the ethics of journalism rather than succumb to socio-political forces influencing the quantity and quality of their news items. They press must be allow to monitor itself.
Equally worrisome are the activities of the social media in the country, while the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) monitors the activities of the print media, the Nigeria’s Broadcasting Commission(NBC) is traditionally mandated to check excesses of Radios and television station to ensuring that they stick to the ethic of the profession. The monitoring bodies must wills its sword accordingly, not based on political sentiment and favoritism. Most Nigerians were overly worried recently over the activities of the social media, for instance, before and during the recently conducted elections in the country, where most politicians used the social platform to smear hard earned reputation of their political opponents. Government must therefore fine tune strategies through which the activities of the social media practitioners including other social networks like face book, twitters etc is regulated to bring sanity to our hard-earned democracy there by pushing the military to the barracks for eternity.