Even if we encourage ourselves by wishing for peaceful coverage of the 2019 election processes, as journalists, there are warning signals for us to prepare for war with this administration.
Reason: most of us are beginning to discern that despite their assurances since May 2015, they are set to tinker ruthlessly with press freedom for their ‘Project 2019’.
On March 16, 2015, the then candidate Muhammadu Buhari told the newspapers’ proprietors and editors: “I won’t tamper with press freedom…”
Buhari, who then said a change revolution was imminent in the country without firing a shot also assured the influential members of the Newspapers’ Proprietors Association of Nigeria( NPAN) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors ( NGE) at an interaction in Abuja: “I want to give you my full assurances that in this democratic dispensation, I will ensure that the Nigerian constitution is upheld.
This includes respect for the media, respect for the right to free expression and freedom of speech….I have said elsewhere that I cannot change the past. But I can change the present and the future.
Dictatorship goes with military rule as do edicts such as Decree 4…However, I am a former-former…, note the emphasis on the word ‘former’– military ruler and now a converted democrat, who is ready to operate under democratic norms.
“I give you my full assurances that the Nigerian media will be free under our APC government.”
After his speech, Buhari responded to questions from some publishers and editors at the session.
But it was not without some drama when the President of NPAN, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, asked Buhari if he was ready to apologize to two journalists who were jailed in 1984 under Decree 4.
Immediately after Obaigbena asked the question, the Director-General of APC Presidential Campaign Organization then, Governor Rotimi Amaechi said: “Gen. Buhari had already answered that question by saying he cannot change the past but he can change present and the future.”
Sadly, there have been stark realities and recent signals that the Buhari administration will not honour his covenant with the Nigerian Press organization: he is set to tamper with press freedom again, this time for re-election.
No doubt, the administration’s hit men will go after opposition figures ruthlessly and the independent journalists will be treated as part of the opposition and detained.
In the end, the loose cannons and spokespersons in the administration will give the journalists of conscience the Jones- -Abiri treatment: link them to terrorism and other related criminal activities, detain them and tell the human rights and international press bodies that the journalists are all criminals and scoundrels.
Even when they report the truth, they can be charged with a dead law such as sedition and there will be court orders to detain them as they just did to Premium Times Samuel Ogundipe the police curiously detained and asked to disclose the source of his information about police letter.
Sadly, yes sadly, some media organs and even journalism professional bodies, which artfully serve the interest of state actors and governing parties will keep quiet as we did to Jones Abiri before The Guardian’s robust editorial exposed the lies, complicity and curious silence of even the Nigerian Press Organisation when the International Press Institute (IPI) asked for the release of Jones Abiri on 23 June this year when President Buhari was declaring the IPI annual convention open in Abuja.
Recall that government had lied to the IPI saying no journalist was detained in Nigeria and the NUJ officials kept quiet.
Same for citizen Samuel Ogundipe: some local newspapers never published the detention of the Premium Times reporter just as some others curiously kept the story inside.
I have a dream that the current DSS acting boss will retire very soon and another hit man, another Daura’s nominee will emerge to replace Daura as DSS chief executive.
I remember my old Pastor Kunle Omotosho’s book titled, “Goliath Hath Children” in which he exposed the hasty celebration of the enemies of Goliath who did not know that the fallen strongman, (Goliath) actually had some chips off the old blocks, yes, some callous children too who actually rose to terrorise the Davids of the time.
Behold, I have a dream that this Inspector General of Police who meretriciously responded the other day to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s directive to overhaul SARS that same day with just a name change and replacement of Commissioner in charge of SARS and ordered arrest of three journalists of Premium Times that same day, will do more when election campaigns proper begin soon.
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