Despite a record number of journalists that have been abducted and incarcerated since he took over on May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday hails media practitioners for their Democratic struggle.
Speaking on the occasion of democracy day, the president expressed gratitude to the media whose resilience triumphed over military dictatorship.
But this is in sharp contrast to the experience journalists have had since he took over.
According to the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), a total of 14 unlawful arrests of journalists have been recorded under the Tinubu-led administration.
Journalists from NewsNGR, Punch, Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), First News, and The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) among others have witnessed a fair share of press suppression while discharging their duties.
The police turned an investigation by NewsNGR which chronicled an alleged shady land deal to the tune of over half a billion, involving the former chairman of the police service commission, Solomon Arase and a former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, into a breach of cybercrime act and subsequently detained the publisher for almost 24 hours.
Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with The FIJ was “abducted”, detained and left incommunicado for a few days for “daring to embark on an investigation” involving then Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals to the president, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, on how the sum of N147.1m was traced to Enseno Global Ventures, an Abuja-based restaurant, for the construction of a classroom. He was released 10 days later.
The CJID noted that there have been nine records of harassment and threats, six cases of sanctions/fines, three unlawful imprisonment, two physical attacks, one case of cyberbullying, one kidnap case and one equipment damage/seizure/property damage under Tinubu’s leadership.
In all, the CJID said between May 29, 2023, and May 29, 2024, the nation recorded a total of 37 cases of press attacks, with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kwara State witnessing the highest number of cases — Nine.
But, the President in a broadcast on Wednesday, acknowledged the battles fought by the Nigerian journalists and the media organisations to birth and advance democracy.
“We could not have won the battle against military dictatorship without the irrepressible Nigerian journalists who mounted the barricade along with the pro-democracy activists.
“We celebrate them today, along with their media establishments such as The Punch, Guardian, National Concord, Tribune, The News/Tempo, and TELL Magazines,” Tinubu said.
He recounted how the military authorities proscribed these media establishments and jailed journalists for standing for free speech and civil liberties.
The president, however, noted that despite the lethal might of the military government, “what appeared to be high and unyielding walls of dictatorship came tumbling down.
“The dismal fortress exists no longer.
“The power of an idea, the power of the people proved more potent than all the guns and munitions, and the threats of the strongmen.
“The nation exited the yoke of military rule in 1999 to become the most populous democracy on African soil, the beacon of democratic self-determination for the black race and one of the largest democracies in the world.
“This change stands as a pivotal moment in human history. From this change, we shall never turn, nor shall the annals of mankind’s progress forget the sublime meaning of this great moment.”