PRESS FREEDOM IN NIGERIA

 AN EVALUATIVE STUDY OF THE SITUATION FROM 1993 TO DATE

ABSTRACT

This project is an appraisal of press freedom in Nigeria from 1993 – date. In that case, it is going to involve the regimes of various presidents as follows; from 1^st January, 1993 to 27, 1993 to November 17, 1993, that of Chief Ernest Shonekan, November 17, 1993 to June 8 1998 then Sani Abacha who died in office, June 9, 1998 to May 29, 1999, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who observed his first tenure from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003, as he wabbled his way into a second tenure from May 29, 2003 to date. The aim is to provide realistic knowledge of the degree of freedom granted to the press during the period under review.

The research would start from a theoretical point and would later delve into the practical event i.e incidents or experiences of both the media organization and their workers (journalists).

Chapter  one would introduce the subject providing a bird’s eye view of government’s press relationship whether military or civilian. This would lead to the second “segment” which will deal with theoretical framework, significance of the study and literature review of works already done on military and civilian government relationship with the press in Nigeria.

Chapter two would review the various legal restrictions against the press in t he military regime along side the amount of freedom offered them by the civilian regime under study.

Chapter three would be dealing with the diary of conflicts between the press and the regimes under study and the findings there in.

CHAPTER ONE

• Introduction 1
• History of press freedom 7
• Statement of research problem 9
• Objective of the study 10
• Significance of the study                         11
• Research hypothesis 12
• Conceptual and operational definitions 13
• Assumption 15
• Limitation of the study 15
• Notes and references 16

CHAPTER TWO

• Sources of literature 17
• The review 17
• Summary of literature review 81

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY                                               86

• Research 86
• Research sample 86
• Measuring instrument 88
• Data collection 89
• Data analysis 90
• Expected results 90

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

• Data analysis 92

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION, SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY

• Conclusion 112
• Recommendations for further study 112

Bibliography                                                       114

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Modern  societies are governed by laws or constitutions, normative conventions and sanctions. The resultant effect being the maintenance of law and order to enhance socio-economic and political stability which breads congenial environment for development. The government is the sole custodian of law and order within the state and also sees to its enforcement for the welfare  of the people. The citizens deal with any government through different means or channels of communication. In Liberal democratic societies, the parliament, the political parties, electioneering campaigns, constituency visits, the press, the representatives of the people etc. Would suffice as the various channels of communication. In a monarchy, military and authoritarian regimes the channel narrows down, and in most cases leave the press as the only substantial  means of communication or link between the government and citizens.

But then, necessary as her role is, most governments have not actually  found the press as healthy  partners in progress. In such countries, the government with its monopoly of the instrument of power, asserts its authority over all other s institutions within the political system including the press.

Of course, such fundamental or basic freedoms like individual rights of movements, association and interpersonal exchange  of ideas and opinions are usually guaranteed and embodied in may systems. Be that as it may, the actual or real freedom sought by the press transcends such rudimentary kind of freedom. The role of the press is that of institutional watch dog i.e to hold the government accountable to the people, hence   the clamoring call by pressmen for more freedom so as to perform this role effectively.

It is a standing fact that the press acts as an interlink between the government and the governed. It actually exposes the programes and policies of the former to the later and as a result creates an enabling environment for politics. Moreso, it is apparent that in the discharge of its enormous responsibility, the press transforms itself into an institution as opposed to the transient position of the editor or the reporter. The reporter and the editor are only agents rather than the press itself. Owing to the sensitivity of their  responsibility to the society, pressmen and journalists demand some kind of constitutional shield laws to protect them against hazards in the performance of their duties. That is the conceptual genealogy of the age – old struggle  for freedom of the press. In other words, the right to gather news and information freely without interference for freedom to print and circulate same.

This freedom of the press. In other words, the right to gather news and information freely without interference and freedom to print and circulate same.

This freedom has perpetually been resented by the governments all over the world. The history of press development in the world over is synomuous with legal restrictions and subtle governmental pressures to control media contents. The difference is that the degree of such controls and its method varies from system to system.

The press is mostly embattled and greately suppressed in military and authoritarian regimes, military men and dictators are rigidly trained to have their orders obeyed irrespective of the moral implications. As a result of this, the military are not supposed to deal with civilians since their training does not allow for that. Rather, they are supposed to deal with their fellow military men especially in times of war. For instance, the press thrives in exposing government secrets and corruptions in official quarters while governments are jealous in guarding these issues and detests such actions. Based on this, various governments have enacted the official secrets Acts which the press regard as undue restrictions to its duties. This functional incompatibility is the cause of the conflicts between secrecy in the conduct  of its affairs, and the duty of the press to inform the people about government actions remains the pivot or the centre point of the conflict, discard and antagonism.

Apparently, the nagging question that lies into the picture is where to draw the line between what the press should publish freely and is actionable.

In Nigeria, and many developing countries, the problem between the press and government is a fact that has come to stay. And there is the assumption that restrictive laws against  the press exist more in military regimes than in civilian administrations. The relevance of comparisms like this rates  from the fact that the phenomenon of military intervention in third would politics  has become a fashionable design in common phenomenon. According to Alhaji Lateef Jakande, former civilian Governor of Lagos State and also former minister of works in Abacha’s rule,

“The press under a military regime is akin to being in

a state of emergency or war, hence, the press

should co-operate with the regime accepted by the

society  by deliberately restraining its freedom of

action in two vital areas of defense and security”

It is apparent from Jakande’s writing that the press in a military regime would only try to survive by keeping  within limits  rather than fighting for its due rights and privileges military intervention always go with the suspension of constitutions and the scrambling of the legislatures. These are often  substituted with decrees. Commenting on this situation Dokun Bojawaide, a notable commentor in national issues said;

“With the institution and democratically

elected representatives gone, it was

another time for the people to look

up to the press to fill the vacuum

created by these representatives and

play the role of people’s watchdoy”

However, according to Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, former presidential aspirant in the then social Democractic Party (SDP) during the aborted third republic, the military and the press are the two institutions in our national life that are apparently in irreconcilable conflict both in terms of the way they perceive their role and in their mode of operations.

 

HISTORY OF PRESS FREEDOM

Rulers and church leaders restricted the writing and distribution of certain materials even before there was press. In those days when everything was written by hand, books considered offensive were banned or burnt. Since the AD 400s, the Roman Catholic Church had restricted materials that it considered contrary to church teaching.

Early printers had to obtain licence from the government or some religious groups for any material they intended to publish. In 1944, the English poet and political writer John Milton criticized such licensing in his pamphlet. This essay was one of the earliest arguments for freedom of the press. As time went on, Great Britain and other nations ended the licensing system. By the 1800s the press of many countries had considerable freedom.

However, this freedom resulted to some amount of abuses on the part of the press. In the late 1980s, some US Newspaper published false and sensational materials to attract readers. Some people favoured government regulation to stop such abuse of the so-called “Yellow Press”.  But in most cases, the press accepted  its responsibility to the public and self regulations made government actions unnecessary.

By the 1900s, the press in many countries had lost their freedom. For example, the fascist in Italy and the Nazis in Germany destroyed press freedom and used the press for their own purposes. In same vein, most of the countries, created around the end of the World War II took to either civil or military dictatorship which actually censored the press.

Moreso, most democratic governments limited  freedom of the press in three major types of cases. In such cases, these governments believe that press freedom could endayer individuals, national security or social morality. As a result, the following press laws were put in place:

• Law against Libel- This law protect individuals from writings that could threaten their reputation or privacy.
• Law against sedition- This prevent the publication of materials that could harm a nations security.
• Law against obscenity – This law aims at the protection of the moral, of the people.

Dictatorship do not allow freedom of the press. The rulers of these government believe that they alone hold the truth and that opposition to them endangers the nation.

 

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

The importance of the press in a society especially developing countries cannot be over emphasized. The press helps in reporting the activities of those in authority to the people so that the people will know how effective their rulers are hence making those in authority mindful of what they do bearing in mind that the growth of the country depends on how effective they are.

A country like Nigeria which has actually experienced different types of government such as the military and the civilian is yet to have a proper research work which would show the extent to which freedom has been given to the press in either of the aforementioned governments.

 

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Having stated the problem of this research study, and how important the press is and how it is necessary for it to be free in the surveillance of the environment and the society at large, it is therefore the objective of this study to evaluate the situations surrounding press freedom in Nigeria within the stipulated years.

The study would examine the effect of the activities of the government (military and civilian) on the freedom of the press.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Knowledge is not absolute, and therefore cannot exist on its own, or on particular lines of thought or ideas in isolation of other lines of thought or ideas. This study aims at contributing to the stock of knowledge already existing in this area of research. Press freedom and various types of government in Nigeria.

This study is important, in that people, at least some, are still at a loss as to which system of government brings out the best of the press.  Questions, such as whether the military skittles the press or whether the civilian government promotes the concept of press freedom, would have been provided with answers, by the time this study would be over.

The significance of this study to the audience and particular students of mass communication and even practicing journalists cannot be over emphasized. It will enable them know the pros and cons of the job, especially where the environment of practice is brought to bear. This will no doubt shapes their focus on the profession. Moreso, this study would flood the minds, of the understanding of future leaders so that their eyes would be open to the fact that the government has it as a point of duty to support the press and give her  the enabling environment to do her watch dogging in the society.

 

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

In this study, the following hypothesis were tested:

Hi: There is more press freedom in the civilian administration than in the military administration.

Ho: The press is not more free in the civilian administration than in the military administration.

H2: The press has some degree of freedom in some administration.

Ho: The press has never experienced freedom in Nigeria.

H3: There is more repressive press laws in the military administration than in the civilian administration.

Ho: Repressive press laws are not more in military administration than civilian administration.

 

CONCEPUTAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

The terms to be defined are press freedom, forms of government, the press. These terms are defined operationally and conceptually.

Press Freedom: Conceptual definition

Press freedom conceptually means the absence of censorship and other restrictive measures like harassment of journalist and editors, seizure of equipment and denial of access to source of information.

Operational definition

Operational press freedom means the freedom of the press to report objectively, the activities of the government in power without being hindered in anyway ay.

Forms of Government: Conceptual definition

Conceptually forms of government talks about the types of government existing. Civilian government mean a democratic government elected by the people. Military government means government of unselected soldiers.

Operational definition

The operational definition of forms of government is the two types of government we have experienced in Nigeria: military and civilian government (administrations).

The Press: Conceptual definition

Printed periodicals; the newspapers generally, radio and television, journals, memories, diaries.

 

Operational definition

The media houses: the Newspaper establishments, radio houses, television stations etc.

 

ASSUMPTION

It is assumed that the press is free to comment freely in their reporting of government activities and indeed all other news worthy events.

It is also assumed that in the execution of its duties, the press would gain the full support of the government not oppositions.

 

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

A closer look at the topic of this study shows that it is quite broad, covering virtually all the administrations of the country, it requires enough time to dig into materials for necessary data. This has actually created a hindrance in the collection of relevant data.

 

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1)     The World Book Encyclopedia

(F) Volume 7. pp 77. World Book – Child Gratt International, Inc.

2)     Ikechukwu E. Nwosu  Mass Communication And National

Development 1990.

3)     E. Micheal Joye/Kings Igweike   Introduction to the

Nigerian 1979 constitution 1982.

4)     The press and Government restriction Across National

study over time international journal of mass communication studies vol. 23, 1977 p. 75.

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