3 - Repression of Press Freedom in Nigerian Democratic Dispensations
Corresponding Author(s) : Akeem Ayofe Akinwale
Africa Development,
Vol. 35 No. 3 (2010): Africa Development
Abstract
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” connotes the capacity of the press to monitor the tiers of government (the legislature, the executive and the judiciary). However, the state monitors the press in Nigeria in a manner that negates the principle of the fourth estate. This article examines the repression of press freedom in Nigerian democratic dispensations. Using questionnaires and in- depth interviews, data were drawn from 440 members of staff of selected print and electronic press organisations in Lagos and Oyo states of Nigeria. Results showed that although the press facilitated the development of democracy, challenges to press freedom were frequent. Respondents largely confirmed that the press kept the public informed, entertained and enlightened, and it set standards and established values for public conduct. The findings showed that the proposed Freedom of Information Bill (FIB) would empower the press and promote democracy in Nigeria if passed into law and implemented. Therefore, it was 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 information made available to the public. Political leaders in Nigeria should accommodate public opinion and press reports on necessities for socio- economic development before making any public interest decision.
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- Abati, R., 1998, ‘Press Freedom in Nigeria: 1859-1998’, in Atere, A.A. and A. Olagbemi, eds., Communication, Language and Culture in Society, Lagos: Bolaji and Associates.
- Adjovi, E.V., 2002, ‘Liberté de Presse et Corruption au Bénin - la Dérive du Journalisme de Marché’, Working Paper No. 10, Mainz University: Department of Anthropology and African Studies.
- Africa Research Bulletin, 2008, ‘Fight for Press Freedom Political’, Social & Cultural Series, Vol. 45, Issue 3, pp. 17463-17463.
- Agbaje, A.A.B., 1992, The Nigerian Press, Hegemony, and the Social Construction of Legitimacy: 1960-1983, Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellon Press.
- Aiyede, R., 2000, ‘The Dynamics of Civil Society and the Democratisation Process in Nigeria’, Paper Presented during the Fellowship at the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies (TCDS), New School University, New York, September-December 2000.
- Akinola, R., 1998, Nigerian Media and Legal Constraint: Analysis of Press Legislation in Nigeria, Lagos: Centre for Free Speech.
- Alemika, E.E.O. and Chukwuma, I.C., 2005, Criminal Victimization and Fear of Crime in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria, Lagos: CLEEN Foundation.
- Asen, R., 2003, ‘The Multiple Mr. Dewey: Multiple Publics and Permeable Borders in John Dewey’s Theory of The Public Sphere’, Argumentation & Advocacy, Vol. 39, Issue 3, pp. 174-189.
- Ay ndele, E., 1979, The Educated Elite in the Nigerian Society, Ibadan: University Press.
- Bandura, A., 2002, ‘Growing Primacy of Human Agency in Adaptation and Change in the Electronic Era’, European Psychologist, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 2-16.
- Bardoel, J. and d’Haenens, L., 2004, Media Meet the Citizen: Beyond Market Mechanisms and Government Regulations, European Journal of Communication, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp.172.
- Bonger, T., 2006, ‘Some Thoughts on Socio-Economic Engineering in Fragile States in Africa: The Case of Uganda’, Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 51-73.
- Bruns, A., 2008, ‘Life Beyond the Public Sphere: Towards a Networked Model of Political Deliberation’, Information Polity, Vol. 13, pp. 65-79.
- Bush, G.W., 2008, ‘Statement on World Press Freedom Day’, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, 5 May, Vol. 44, Issue 17, pp. 636-637.
- Chan, B., 2005, ‘Imagining the Homeland: The Internet and Diasporic Discourse of Nationalism’, Journal of Communication Inquiry, Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 336-368.
- Dahlgren, P., 2006, ‘Doing Citizenship: The Cultural Origins of Civic Agency in the Public Sphere’, European Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 9, pp. 272
- Danso, R. and McDonald, D., 2001, ‘Writing Xenophobia: Immigration and the Print Media in Post-Apartheid South Africa’, Africa Today, Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 132.
- Dare, O. and Uyo, A., 1996, Journalism in Nigerian: Issues and Perspectives, Lagos: Nigerian Union of Journalists.
- Ellick, A.B., 2007, ‘64 Journalists Killed Worldwide in 2007, Most Since 1994’, New York Times, 18 December, p. 6.
- Falola, T. 1984, The Political Economy of a Pre-colonial State: Ibadan, 1830- 1900. Ile-Ife: University of Ile-Ife Press.
- Fard, H., Asghar, A. and Rostamy, A., 2007, ‘Promoting Public Trust in Public Organizations: Explaining the Role of Public Accountability’, Public Organization Review, Vol. 7, pp. 332.
- Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Lagos: Daily Times Publications.
- Hudgens, J. and Trillo, R., 1999, West Africa: The Rough Guide, 3rd Edition, London: Rough Guides Ltd.
- Jacobs, S., 2002, ‘How Good is the South African Media for Democracy?’, African and Asian Studies, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 280-298.
- Jallow, A.Y., 2008, ‘Press Freedom under Attack in Gambia & USA, New African, Issue 473, pp. 74-75.
- Karikari, K., 2004, ‘Press Freedom in Africa’, New Economy, Vol. 11, No. 3.
- Karppinen, K., 2007, ‘Against Naïve Pluralism in Media Politics: On the Implications of the Radical Pluralist Approach to the Public Sphere’, Media, Culture and Society, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 496.
- Kim, H.S. and Hama-Saeed, M., 2008, ‘Emerging Media in Peril’, Journalism Studies, Vol. 9, Issue 4, pp. 578-594.
- Kohnert, D., 2006, ‘Cultures of Innovation of the African Poor: Common Roots, Shared Traits, Joint Prospects? On the Articulation of Multiple Modernities in African Societies and Black Diasporas in Latin America, (http:// mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/3704/), 9 August 2008.
- Kriesi, H., 2008, ‘Political Mobilization, Political Participation and the Power of the Vote’, West European Politics, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 152.
- Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., 2001, ‘Serving a New Democracy: Must the Media “Speak Softly”? Learning from South Africa’, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 355-376.
- Leba, L., 2006, ‘Ore-Benin Road: Metaphor of a Failed Social Contract’, Vanguard, Lagos, Nigeria, 23 October.
- Lloyd, P.C., Mabogunje, A.L. and Awe, B., 1967, The City of Ibadan, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Mabogunje, A.L., 1968, Urbanization in Nigeria, London: University of London Press.
- Massey, D.S., 2002, ‘A Brief History of Human Society: The Origin and Role of Emotion in Social Life’, American Sociological Review, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 1-29.
- Merrill, J.C., 1974, The Imperative of Freedom, New York: Hastings House.
- Nwabueze, B.O., 1997, ‘Decolonizing and Democratizing the Constitution in Africa’, Paper presented at The Annual Lecture in Law and Public Policy, University of Ilorin, 15th November.
- Obono, O., 2007, ‘A Lagos Thing: Rules and Realities in the Nigerian Megacity’, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Summer/Fall, Vol. viii, No. 2, pp. 31-38.
- Ojo, E.O., 2006, ‘Human Rights and Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria (1999– 2003)’, Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 15-29.
- Onadipe, A., 2002, ‘Nigeria and Democracy: Third Time Lucky?’, Contemporary Review Company Ltd., (www.findarticles.com), 30 March 2008.
- Onishi, N., 2000, ‘Popular Uprising Ends Junta’s Rule Over Ivory Coast’, The New York Times, 26 October, p. A1.
- Oyeleye, A., 2004, ‘The Mediation of Politicians and the Political Process in Nigeria’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 157-168.
- Sakr, N., 2003, ‘Freedom of Expression, Accountability and Development in the Arab Region’, Journal of Human Development, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 29-46.
- Same, A., 2008, ‘The Gambia’s 2006 Presidential Election; Change or Continuity?’, African Studies Review, Vol. 51, Issue 1, pp. 59-83.
- Schaffner, B., 2006, ‘The Political Geography of Campaign Advertising in U.S. House Elections’, Political Geography, Vol. 25, pp. 776.
- Spinks, B.T., Sahliyeh, E. and Calfano, B., 2008, ‘The Status of Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East: Does Regime Type Make a Difference?’, Democratization, Vol. 15 Issue 2, pp. 321-341.
- Swaffield, B.C., 2008, ‘Journalists in Paraguay Have Tough Road Ahead’, Quill, Vol. 96, Issue 3, pp. 34-34.
- Tettey, W.J., 2008, ‘Media Pluralism, Democratic Discourses and Political Accountability in Africa’, Paper presented at the Harvard World Bank Workshop, Harvard Kennedy School, 29-31 May 2008.
- Tettey, W., 2006, ‘The Politics of Media Accountability in Africa: An Examination of Mechanisms and Institutions’, The International Communication Gazette, Vol. 68, No. 3, pp. 229-248.
- The Punch Editorial, 2008, ‘Arrest of Journalists’, The Punch, 12 September, p.14.
- Ukaegbu, C.C., 2007, ‘Leadership Fatalism and Underdevelopment in Nigeria: Imaginative Policymaking for Human Development’, Philosophia Africana, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp.161- 182.
- Walton, D., 2007, ‘Revitalizing the Public Sphere: The Current System of Discourse and the Need for the Participative Design of Social Action, Systemic Practice and Action’ Research, 20, pp. 369-386.
- World Bank, 2006, World Development Report 2006: Equity and Development, Washington, D.C.: Oxford University Press.
References
Abati, R., 1998, ‘Press Freedom in Nigeria: 1859-1998’, in Atere, A.A. and A. Olagbemi, eds., Communication, Language and Culture in Society, Lagos: Bolaji and Associates.
Adjovi, E.V., 2002, ‘Liberté de Presse et Corruption au Bénin - la Dérive du Journalisme de Marché’, Working Paper No. 10, Mainz University: Department of Anthropology and African Studies.
Africa Research Bulletin, 2008, ‘Fight for Press Freedom Political’, Social & Cultural Series, Vol. 45, Issue 3, pp. 17463-17463.
Agbaje, A.A.B., 1992, The Nigerian Press, Hegemony, and the Social Construction of Legitimacy: 1960-1983, Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellon Press.
Aiyede, R., 2000, ‘The Dynamics of Civil Society and the Democratisation Process in Nigeria’, Paper Presented during the Fellowship at the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies (TCDS), New School University, New York, September-December 2000.
Akinola, R., 1998, Nigerian Media and Legal Constraint: Analysis of Press Legislation in Nigeria, Lagos: Centre for Free Speech.
Alemika, E.E.O. and Chukwuma, I.C., 2005, Criminal Victimization and Fear of Crime in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria, Lagos: CLEEN Foundation.
Asen, R., 2003, ‘The Multiple Mr. Dewey: Multiple Publics and Permeable Borders in John Dewey’s Theory of The Public Sphere’, Argumentation & Advocacy, Vol. 39, Issue 3, pp. 174-189.
Ay ndele, E., 1979, The Educated Elite in the Nigerian Society, Ibadan: University Press.
Bandura, A., 2002, ‘Growing Primacy of Human Agency in Adaptation and Change in the Electronic Era’, European Psychologist, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 2-16.
Bardoel, J. and d’Haenens, L., 2004, Media Meet the Citizen: Beyond Market Mechanisms and Government Regulations, European Journal of Communication, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp.172.
Bonger, T., 2006, ‘Some Thoughts on Socio-Economic Engineering in Fragile States in Africa: The Case of Uganda’, Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 51-73.
Bruns, A., 2008, ‘Life Beyond the Public Sphere: Towards a Networked Model of Political Deliberation’, Information Polity, Vol. 13, pp. 65-79.
Bush, G.W., 2008, ‘Statement on World Press Freedom Day’, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, 5 May, Vol. 44, Issue 17, pp. 636-637.
Chan, B., 2005, ‘Imagining the Homeland: The Internet and Diasporic Discourse of Nationalism’, Journal of Communication Inquiry, Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 336-368.
Dahlgren, P., 2006, ‘Doing Citizenship: The Cultural Origins of Civic Agency in the Public Sphere’, European Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 9, pp. 272
Danso, R. and McDonald, D., 2001, ‘Writing Xenophobia: Immigration and the Print Media in Post-Apartheid South Africa’, Africa Today, Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 132.
Dare, O. and Uyo, A., 1996, Journalism in Nigerian: Issues and Perspectives, Lagos: Nigerian Union of Journalists.
Ellick, A.B., 2007, ‘64 Journalists Killed Worldwide in 2007, Most Since 1994’, New York Times, 18 December, p. 6.
Falola, T. 1984, The Political Economy of a Pre-colonial State: Ibadan, 1830- 1900. Ile-Ife: University of Ile-Ife Press.
Fard, H., Asghar, A. and Rostamy, A., 2007, ‘Promoting Public Trust in Public Organizations: Explaining the Role of Public Accountability’, Public Organization Review, Vol. 7, pp. 332.
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Lagos: Daily Times Publications.
Hudgens, J. and Trillo, R., 1999, West Africa: The Rough Guide, 3rd Edition, London: Rough Guides Ltd.
Jacobs, S., 2002, ‘How Good is the South African Media for Democracy?’, African and Asian Studies, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 280-298.
Jallow, A.Y., 2008, ‘Press Freedom under Attack in Gambia & USA, New African, Issue 473, pp. 74-75.
Karikari, K., 2004, ‘Press Freedom in Africa’, New Economy, Vol. 11, No. 3.
Karppinen, K., 2007, ‘Against Naïve Pluralism in Media Politics: On the Implications of the Radical Pluralist Approach to the Public Sphere’, Media, Culture and Society, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 496.
Kim, H.S. and Hama-Saeed, M., 2008, ‘Emerging Media in Peril’, Journalism Studies, Vol. 9, Issue 4, pp. 578-594.
Kohnert, D., 2006, ‘Cultures of Innovation of the African Poor: Common Roots, Shared Traits, Joint Prospects? On the Articulation of Multiple Modernities in African Societies and Black Diasporas in Latin America, (http:// mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/3704/), 9 August 2008.
Kriesi, H., 2008, ‘Political Mobilization, Political Participation and the Power of the Vote’, West European Politics, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 152.
Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., 2001, ‘Serving a New Democracy: Must the Media “Speak Softly”? Learning from South Africa’, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 355-376.
Leba, L., 2006, ‘Ore-Benin Road: Metaphor of a Failed Social Contract’, Vanguard, Lagos, Nigeria, 23 October.
Lloyd, P.C., Mabogunje, A.L. and Awe, B., 1967, The City of Ibadan, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mabogunje, A.L., 1968, Urbanization in Nigeria, London: University of London Press.
Massey, D.S., 2002, ‘A Brief History of Human Society: The Origin and Role of Emotion in Social Life’, American Sociological Review, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 1-29.
Merrill, J.C., 1974, The Imperative of Freedom, New York: Hastings House.
Nwabueze, B.O., 1997, ‘Decolonizing and Democratizing the Constitution in Africa’, Paper presented at The Annual Lecture in Law and Public Policy, University of Ilorin, 15th November.
Obono, O., 2007, ‘A Lagos Thing: Rules and Realities in the Nigerian Megacity’, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Summer/Fall, Vol. viii, No. 2, pp. 31-38.
Ojo, E.O., 2006, ‘Human Rights and Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria (1999– 2003)’, Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 15-29.
Onadipe, A., 2002, ‘Nigeria and Democracy: Third Time Lucky?’, Contemporary Review Company Ltd., (www.findarticles.com), 30 March 2008.
Onishi, N., 2000, ‘Popular Uprising Ends Junta’s Rule Over Ivory Coast’, The New York Times, 26 October, p. A1.
Oyeleye, A., 2004, ‘The Mediation of Politicians and the Political Process in Nigeria’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 157-168.
Sakr, N., 2003, ‘Freedom of Expression, Accountability and Development in the Arab Region’, Journal of Human Development, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 29-46.
Same, A., 2008, ‘The Gambia’s 2006 Presidential Election; Change or Continuity?’, African Studies Review, Vol. 51, Issue 1, pp. 59-83.
Schaffner, B., 2006, ‘The Political Geography of Campaign Advertising in U.S. House Elections’, Political Geography, Vol. 25, pp. 776.
Spinks, B.T., Sahliyeh, E. and Calfano, B., 2008, ‘The Status of Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East: Does Regime Type Make a Difference?’, Democratization, Vol. 15 Issue 2, pp. 321-341.
Swaffield, B.C., 2008, ‘Journalists in Paraguay Have Tough Road Ahead’, Quill, Vol. 96, Issue 3, pp. 34-34.
Tettey, W.J., 2008, ‘Media Pluralism, Democratic Discourses and Political Accountability in Africa’, Paper presented at the Harvard World Bank Workshop, Harvard Kennedy School, 29-31 May 2008.
Tettey, W., 2006, ‘The Politics of Media Accountability in Africa: An Examination of Mechanisms and Institutions’, The International Communication Gazette, Vol. 68, No. 3, pp. 229-248.
The Punch Editorial, 2008, ‘Arrest of Journalists’, The Punch, 12 September, p.14.
Ukaegbu, C.C., 2007, ‘Leadership Fatalism and Underdevelopment in Nigeria: Imaginative Policymaking for Human Development’, Philosophia Africana, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp.161- 182.
Walton, D., 2007, ‘Revitalizing the Public Sphere: The Current System of Discourse and the Need for the Participative Design of Social Action, Systemic Practice and Action’ Research, 20, pp. 369-386.
World Bank, 2006, World Development Report 2006: Equity and Development, Washington, D.C.: Oxford University Press.