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Where Is The Offence Of Journalists? By Ebele Okeke
An objective retrospect into the history of the Nigeria media attracts one to the question, is it a crime to obey the constitutional command of the federal republic of Nigeria? For example, section 22 of the Nigerian constitution states that;
“The press, Radio, Television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold… The responsibility and accountability of the government to the people” in the same vein, section 39 which ensures freedom of _expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impact ideas and information without interference spells the hallmark of the noble profession of journalism.
In view of the above, Prof. Jerry R. Domatob once had say “The journalist is like a gentleman sitting on top of the hill and watching what transpires within the society” They champion the course of the underprivileged members of the society. The contributions of the press both during the pre-independence era to the present day Nigeria can never be over emphasised, disappointingly, these gentlemen of this profession have never been any better than kings uncrowned. It is sad therefore to reveal that Journalists in this country have at various times been humiliated, molested, chassed and worst still murdered in numbers in the course of obeying their constitutional obligation.
The journalist is often times looked upon with fear and consternation especially by powers that be. He is most consciously put in a schizophrenic condition by both rulers and the masses especially those with skeletons in their cupboards.
Unlike any other non-military professional body in this country, the history of journalism has recorded ugly scenes under different regimes ranging from unlawful confiscation and closure of media premises to indiscriminate arrests and detention of journalist, prosecution, physical torture by security agents and several other untold hardships. Let me meticulously take you down memory lane.
In the early 70s for example, the administration of General Yakubu Gowan (rtd) incredibly considered press campaigns against corruption and mismanagement as an incitement of unhealthy environment, in the course of media resistance to this perception, Babatunde Jose then managing director of daily times was arrested and their premises sealed up. The sketch newspaper also suffered the same wipe with a two hour seizure.
In May 1977, Government under Olusegun Obasanjo impounded 50,000 copies of the newsbread magazine and Chief Chris Okoli then publisher and editor in chief was arrested for no genuine reason and so later released. - Nigerian standard May 1981.
The influx of press maltreatment continued to the following decade, in October 1982 under Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s regime, the late Chief Dele Giwa of blessed memory, then the editor of Sunday concord joined the wagon of indiscriminate press victims, his offence was that he got the public informed on the commission of inquiry investigating the fire destruction of public building in Lagos. This degenerated into arrest and re-arrests. Should the press then fail in upholding the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people for the fear of oppression?
Like the biblical saying that shadrack, meshack and Abedego were thrown in the fire but never got burnt, the press came out more enthusiastic in sourcing and reporting news from and to the public. Beginning from first day of 1984 when the military again resumed power, the press found themselves in the rockiest, ridiculously darkest days under the military regimes.
General Mohammed Buhari came on board with the enactment of the well calculated Decree No.4 of 1984, shortly after, the decree claimed two Guardian noble journalists Nduka Irabo and Tunde Thamson who had to cool their feet’s in the prison without explanation. Several other journalists including lateef Jakande one time Governor of Lagos State were also victims.
In 1985, General Babangida’s administration came with a vow to recognise the freedom of press, thought and constructive criticism from members of the public, this administration rather than Salvage the press recorded the highest number of mass harassment, arrests, detention and death of journalists never experienced before in the history of this great nation.
On October 1986, Dele Giwa then editor In-chief of news-watch was mysteriously and controversially killed by a letter bomb. The question “who killed Dele Giwa” remains unanswered till date.
That all these reputable gentlemen of the press in the course of getting the public sufficiently informed sold their integrity, staked and lost their lives is not enough to merit better respect and honour in this country?
Also in trying to remind the government to be responsible and accountable to the people, the likes of Haruna Muhammed then managing director of New Nigerian and several other journalist were unjustifiably arrested and detained, others also strangled in this tussle include innocent Okparadike, Yusuf ozi e.t.c of the editorial board of the new Nigerian.
On January 16, 1989, Lewis Obi then editor of the African concord magazine felled next victim, his offence was that, he reported the police raid and killing of the village head and some of his people. This story however was later confirmed to be substantially true. As if that isn’t enough, the ordeals of the trio of Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese and Yakubu Mohammed of Newswatch company is sad to reveal. Perhaps one will be tempted to infer here that, from the government’s point of view, it is a crime for the media to attempt to champion the course of the underprivileged members of the society.
Inspite of all these hostile media environment, have this honourable group of martyrs and Altruists ever embarked on an industrial strike action as is the case with other institutions in the history of this nation?
Babangida’s guest of “oppression kill the press” was not yet met, the April 22 1990 attempted coup of major Gideon Gwaza Orkar Jerked several journalists in the likes of Chris Mamah of “ Punch” and their premises sealed up by security agents. Neither was broadcast media spared in this flax, Kola Yusuz and Kola Alaba both of Radio Kwara were arrested for carrying out their normal daily routine of hooking on to 7 o’clock news on that fateful day, (coup day) several other journalists were arrested and detained as if they were plotters of the coup themselves.
Where then is the offence of these gentlemen for God’s sake, should broadcast substations refuse to hook up to the national network news in due times? In 1991, the Jennifer-Oyakilome drug scandal Swayed notable journalists as Mr. Patrick Ityohegh then, with NTA and Gold Oru for disallowing government to abuse their professional exhibition.
Another terrifying circumstance worthy of mention occurred in the May 29 1991 Guardian report of the confirmation by university of Lagos Teaching Hospital of the death from gun short wounds of two students of the institution who participated in a planned protest. These students were shot by the police who later arrested editor of the said Newspaper Ogundimehim Bayo and 3 others, they were denied bail and remanded in prison custody for not reporting the way the government felt it ought to have been reported.
Should the journalist then report news as it is, or news as it ought to be? News as it ought to be which means concealing or distorting facts. This question indeed is never answered by those in authority.
As the wheels of press oppression continued to “Maradonically” roll towards the last days of Babangida’s administration, another terrible circumstance occurred in April 1992 over a report in African concord of the mysterious escape from high military detention of the wife of major Salibo Mukoro one of the 1990 coup plotters of major Orkar, the government was irked by the report but later confirmed the story yet demanded an apology from then editor Bayo Onanuga who rather chose to resign than sale the integrity of the profession, up till date, neither has the government disputed or invalidated this report nor apologised to the editor.
It is terrifying to reveal this incredible and mischievous record that in 1993 alone, 54 journalists were arrested, six photographers maltreated by the police and 300,000 publications seized. Some others from electronic media dismissed or punished for unsatisfactory reasons while about 10 of them resigned.
Other drastic decrees such as decree 48 and (proscription) decrees 35 of 1993 empowered IBB to use his discretion to proscribe or seize and confiscate any publication, the press yet refused to die amidst all these punitive measures.
As we rolled into the dark days of General Sani Abacha (Late) Evidently, the atmosphere was calculatively created to make life solitary, brutish, nasty and short for the press, yet the nose of the journalist knew no bound in sniffing and reporting news from and to all nooks and crannies of the society. From 1994 to 1998 when General Abacha ruled and died, press freedom was inhumanly violated, several newspaper houses suffered closure and journalists indiscriminately arrested and jailed. Reports on the controversial and historical June 12 election often kept several newspaper house and journalists at contrary and often confrontational angles with the government. Most publications and journalists suffered government clamp.
In 1994 alone, the Nigerian union of journalists reported about 110 cases of press freedom violation (Momoh 1997) ranging from confiscation of publications, indiscriminate arrests and detention of journalists to prosecution and so on. The likes of Chris Anyanwu, George Mba, Kule Ajibade and Charles Obi have sad experiences to tell in the conviction and hanging of Ken-saro Wiwa and others.
As the wheels of military dictatorship gradually rolled to an end, on Sunday November 9 1997, Osifo -Whiskey then managing editor of tell was abducted by security men on his way to church and detained for six months, Niran Malaolu editor with “the Diet” was also sentenced to imprisonment .Still yet, the journalist refused to keep mute in the face of tyranny neither did they embarked on a strike action to drive home their point. The unrelantedly aggressive , witty, mythical ,and qutty disposition of Nigerian journalists in 1999 triumphantly gave birth to democracy and it’s accompanying relative freedom of speech and the press enjoyed by every Nigerian today, thus the media won the protracted battle of “military autocracy rest in perfect pieces”.
In this democratic dispensation, the press in the spirit of watchdoging the society took up their pen and paper like water pumps required n pulling water from the reservoir to quenching a conflagration of fire, off, they embarked on a mission of “oppression flush out bad eggs mutilating our economy”
The Salisu Buhari’s forgery and age falsification saga sprang up to dare the dexterity and acumen of the media. The pen -men started it all and Nigerians in a terrifying shiver were calling it bluffs saying “the press at it again’’ Buhari in a sophistical manner took it up against the press and made a bold and scaring step like a goliath to the bottle field beckoning and singing song of sabotage, antagonism and personality defamation at the press. With all his chunk of money to buy the arms and ammunitions required for the war, Buhari was furious, intimidating, cruely and viciously waiting like a rattle snake to grab the throat of the press should they lack evidence to support their allegations. This sent quick shivers down the spine of the masses waiting to witness the fall of the media. The stage was set for the battle.
The press amusingly “went, saw, and conquered”, those with similar skeletons in their cupboard started running to take cover, developing phobia for the press, the likes of Evans Ewerem erstwhile senate President and others prematurely and unceremoniously disintegrated and disappeared from the political stage, once again, sanity was enforced into our system. Having came such far, is the king not yet deserving of a crown?
All work without play they say makes jack a sad man but these gentlemen of the media cheerfully work 24 hours every day including Sundays without rest and complain. To meet the desires of the public, the journalist therefore eats news, drinks news, walks news, in his solemn sleep he sleeps news, dreams and wakes news, in his breath, he breaths and smells news, both good and bad news alike. It is not the masses concern if the media fails to report what has taken place even when everybody is naturally expected to be asleep, all they want is to be kept informed even of occurrences at war fronts amidst stray bullets.
Please, these group of intellectuals meritoriously deserve accolade than what is obtainable, it is my suggestion that a special day is not too expensive to be chosen as “media day” to soberly reflect the unquantifiably vicarious experiences this gentlemen of the media both dead and living were and are still put through by various authoritative and autocratic powers in this great nation of ours.
I do not intend to take my readers long but because I write with heavy heart for the scars left by this mournful incidents shall ever remain indelible in the minds of well-concerned Nigerians. Thanks and God bless you all for granting me space and readership.
Department of Mass Communication
University of Maiduguri.
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