The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Press

  • Group condemns attack on press

    Chairman of the Lawyers in the Media Forum (LIM), Mr. Charles Odenigbo has condemned the Federal Government over what he described as obnoxious actions against the press. The body at the weekend in Abuja made this condemnation.  Military agents in the last few days have oppressed, harassed, impounded, detained and restrained the distribution vehicles of some media houses in the country for the past two weeks.

    Odenigbo said: “Nigeria is gradually slipping back into what we saw during the military era. It is  very obvious that the government of the day is not very clear about the rules of democracy.

    He said: “Section 13 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, clearly states the fundamental obligations of the government, which include  to conform, observe and apply the provisions of the  constitution especially the provisions  of chapter two which deals with the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy.

    “Nigeria practices government based on the principles of democracy and social justice. Now there are certain clear objectives or state policies that we are expected to adhere to in terms of political objectives, environmental objectives, foreign policy and much more. Section 15 (5) states that “the state shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.” One wonders where the government derived the power to clamp down media houses.

    “Section 22 of the Constitution also imposes a heavy obligation on the mass media.

    That section states that the press, which include newspapers, magazines, radio, televisions and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times, be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in chapter two of the constitution and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.

    Odenigbo said: “When military officers begin to impound circulation vans of newspaper houses to prevent the circulation of newspapers, it becomes worrisome and total abuse of the rule of law.

    This is obnoxious, it is unwarranted and a gross violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens whether individuals or corporate citizens to pursue their legitimate businesses.

    “If the military feel aggrieved in any way, all that is expected of them is to reply or go to court. This affront amounts to testing the waters for other heinous probable steps in concert.

    “This is a clear indication that the government and their military cohorts do not have tolerance for democratic ideals and norms. A government that does not tolerate free press is not a democratic government at all; it has put on the apparel of dictatorship.”                                       Odenigbo added: “I am really disappointed that the Special Assistant to the President on Communication and  Public  Affairs,  Dr. Doyin Okupe could justify the action of the military on the flimsy excuse that they were searching for sensitive security documents. I am surprised that he has reduced politics to that level. There is nothing that the military is looking for. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and he takes responsibility for whatever happens in the country. They cannot cook up excuses to cover up  for their errors.”

  • National broadcast? Press release would have been sufficient

    National broadcast? Press release would have been sufficient

    Some five or so weeks after many communities across the country were overwhelmed by flood, President Goodluck Jonathan has finally taken what seems to his government urgent steps in ameliorating the effects of the unprecedented disaster. He had earlier sent a technical committee to assess the damage and to prepare an interim report. After deliberating on the report and having presented it to those he described as stakeholders, the president yesterday morning announced through a national broadcast the provision of N17.6 billion to tackle the problem. The money is to be shared among the 36 states and a few relevant federal agencies involved in disaster management. In the broadcast, the president sent word he would be visiting some of the affected communities, while a team of financial heavyweights has also been constituted to raise more money for the purpose.

    It is not exactly clear why the president felt a national broadcast was in order merely to announce the provision of N17.6bn to the 36 states. Was it to lend seriousness to the disaster or to give an impression that the problem required such attention that only a broadcast could convey? If the president thought the problem grave enough, should he not have visited a few of the ravaged communities immediately he returned from addressing the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations late September? The president is of course at liberty to apportion his time as he deems fit, but there are not many Nigerians who would have objected to their president visiting some of the flood-ravaged states. And judging from the enormity of the problem and its urgency, and the rather disproportionately niggardly sum the president has set aside for the task, a common press release announcing the federal government’s contribution would have been more than sufficient.

    In the 20 paragraphs broadcast, the president said virtually nothing about the even more frightening cataclysm of impending food shortages, nor of how it would be mitigated both in the medium run and in the next planting season. It is bad enough that weeks after the flood, he is still proposing a visit to affected communities. But his refusal to say something concrete about what he intends to do both to tackle a possible food crisis and to ensure the availability and distribution of seedlings for the next farming season, and his inability to acknowledge the threat food shortages could pose to national security at a time of sundry and ubiquitous terrorist threats, is truly befuddling.

    The president is probably unable to gauge when a national broadcast is appropriate. Yes, he was expected to let his countrymen know what he wanted to do on the flood problem, but if he must make a broadcast, they also expected him to talk stirringly about the October 1 massacre of some 40 students at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State, and to also visit the school and the host community. Nigerians also hoped he would say something quite deep about the University of Port Harcourt students who were lynched near their school, and then pay the four grieving families a visit and swear that such would never happen again under his watch.

    Instead, Dr Jonathan has offered us an unappealing and needless broadcast, and has found it difficult to correctly judge when to stir himself sufficiently to hit the road. He is a top politician, and he is president of the country upon whose shoulders all our troubles, hopes and disappointments rest. He should not be told how to discharge the responsibilities of that great office or when to mollify the pains and sorrows of his people.