The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised concerns over the state of press freedom in Nigeria, stating that the country’s democracy is ailing due to severe media repression.
The civil rights advocacy group pointed out that despite Nigeria’s claims of being under successive democratic administrations since 1999, the freedom of the press has deteriorated.
HURIWA also criticised the current government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for restricting media freedom in the country.
The association noted that while President Tinubu owns prominent media outlets in the country, his administration has been intolerant of anti-press policies and lacks transparency in government affairs.
Pointing out specific incidents, including the kidnapping of journalist Segun Olatunji from First News and threats against its members, particularly National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA emphasised the government’s attempts to curtail media freedom in the country.
Speaking in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day coming up May 3rd, the organisation called attention to the importance of freedom of the press as enshrined in international declarations and human rights principles.
The group also urged the Nigerian government to uphold press freedom and respect the right to freedom of expression as fundamental pillars of democracy.
The media statement partly reads:
“Our National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko has come under increased threats to his life only because we used the media to criticise the armed forces of the federation for abysmally compromising with armed non-state actors which is why “kidnappers have widened their frontiers of attacks even up to the metropolis of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.
“So to us in HURIWA, the World Press Freedom Day of the year 2024 makes no meaning because the media is not free.
“The chief of staff to the President and the National Security Adviser to the president are both up in arms against press freedom because they are actively working to curtail the media freedoms that the youths enjoy through social media.
“These top-flight aides of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is a newspaper publisher and a proprietor of one of the biggest television stations in Nigeria, are actively working to get a legislative framework to whittle down and destroy social media freedoms in Nigeria.
“The duo are after press freedom because the government hates accountability and transparency.”
