Press freedom, according to Wikipedia.com, is the principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exercised freely. The 1979 and 1999 constitution of Nigeria prepared a fundamental human right and freedom, section 36 (I) and section 39(I) of 1999 constitution provides that " Everyone shall be entitled to freedom of expression and freedom to hold opinion and impart idea and information without interference". Nigeria has very robust document backing press freedom in the country but, in the reality, there's very little to defend the beauty of those law. Nigeria is one of west Africa most dangerous and difficult countries for journalist, the law stated to safeguard the press freedom aren't being enforced, journalist are being beaten, jailed, threatened and their families are humiliated because they covered a story that a particular politician deemed to be very embarrassing. it is vivid that the right to freedom of expression is increasing under threat in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Press freedom is degraded by many factors in which some will be discussed. One of the factor that that degrade Nigeria press freedom is Political Interference. Political Interference is a situation whereby politics is emerged into press. In Nigeria politician are willing to take over the media house, so that their embarrassing stories will not be disseminate to the masses and they take advantage of buying a certain reporter over, in a case that the reporter will write in their Favour or the media house should disseminate stories in their Favour.
The system of government is the another point that degrade the Nigeria press freedom , the military era is the best example for this point, in 1984- 1999, many journalist were killed while some are jailed and were beaten for writing and publishing stories against the military rule. Dele Giwa, A News Watch editor, was killed through a parcel bomb, this man was killed under the regime of General Ibrahim Babagida. Aliyu Hayatu: editor, the reporter newspaper was arraigned before an Abuja grade one magistrate court on march 8, 1993. The paper published in its March 1 edition, a story titled; NIGERIA PREVAILING MESS; BABANGIDA TO BLAME. Aliyu Hayatu was not granted bail. This also happened in General Ibrahim Babagida.
The military era in Nigeria is an unforgettable era for Nigerian press, because, this era sent fear to the heart of journalist, they hardly can out their duties maximally. The military era in Nigeria degaraded the press freedom even the current system of government degraded the press freedom, in 2019, Omoyele Sowore, founder of the U.S.-headquartered news site Sahara Reporters, was recently charged with treason after a legal dispute with Nigerian officials. Sowore, who ran against Buhari in Nigeria’s February 2019 presidential contest, was detained in August for organizing nationwide rallies against corruption and allegations of unfair elections. He was held until late December, despite multiple court orders for his release.
However, If there is no stop to the degradation of Nigerian press Freedom, the democracy is at risk. Nigeria Democratic system will be destabilized and the future of the country will be dangerous. Press has been a good channel between the government and the masses in democracy, the press are the ones that table the request of the citizen to government and the government get back to the citizen through the press. Now, if the press freedom is not properly enforced, the relationship between the government and its citizen will be devastated.
The press serves as Watchdog [Oloyede 2008] in Nigeria Democratic system, the press are the ones that monitors the government moves including the citizen and they opened the hidden secret to everyone, press should be said to be the light of the country in the sense that they light to dark part of the country. When the press freedom is continued to degrade, the light of the country will go dim.
The press freedom is one of the fundamental Pilar that that hold Nigerian democracy, in democracy, every citizen has a right and not percent of this citizen knows their right, it is the press that will explain their right to them in the language they understand and they teach them their limitations. But , press freedom is ignore and the government care not about it, the citizen will go the wrong way because not all citizens are educated. so if the press as the pilar of the nation's democracy is down, the nation Will collapsed.
Thus, before the press freedom is totally ignored, there are way in which it can be achieved and the nation will be in it normal position. The first is THE JUDICIARY, the judiciary is the last hope for common man,A free and independent judiciary can guarantee protection for ordinary citizen, If one's right is abused, such person can seek redress in a law court.
CONSTITUTION PROVISION, Nigeria has a constitution guiding freedom of expression, the 1979 and 1999 constitution, this constitution must be enforced just as the government enforced law and order on its citizen.
RESPECT FOR RULE OF LAW AND EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW, Just as the rule of law states " everyone is equal before the law" in order to achieve a freely communicating press and society, therefore, all government must imbibe and respect the rule of law as opposed to the rule of men.
And lastly, PROTECTION OF PRESS, as a gatekeeper of information and news analyst, press should be protected in course of performing their duties, they should be equipped with instrument for detecting, inspecting, and disrupting letter, parcel or bomb that may possibly be sent to them when they are exposing corruption.
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