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CHALLENGES FACING FREEDOM OF INFORMATION IN NIGERIA (A case Study of Nigeria Television Authority)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Government attempt not only to control but to subjugate the press through obnoxious laws had been an enduring problem in the history of Nigeria Press. The press has been striving to wriggle itself out of these unfavourable laws, but the government believes that giving the press the freedom to operate as an independent entity may be suicidal.
Usually, government feels that it is logical to restrain the power of the press and if possible have a total control of the press. To government, the press is an instrument of people in power and should yield itself to their dictates. But the press fights fiercely to resist this obsequious stance government wants to subject it to because the press belief that they are to serve as watchdog on government and not to be used as government extention of ministry of information or for propaganda tool. This gives rise to clashes between the press and the government. While government uses its authority to subjugate the press, the press resists by remaining tenacious in its fight for freedom.
Government’s truculent reaction to the freedom of the press to report the affairs of government to the public shows that the government always has skeletons in its cupboard and, therefore, would never entertain the prolonged glimpse of the press. The aim of the government to lord over the press is not peculiar to Nigeria alone none to the third world countries but to the entire world except the USA that said it clear in its constitution that “Congress shall make no law that will abridge the freedom of press and expression….”
According to Ekwelie (1986:568), “throughout the centuries, and in every country, the media have been subjected to both harassment and manipulation”
From the colonial era to Nigeria’s independence and to military and civilian regimes, the press has struggled to exist amidst diverse suppressive laws, ordinances, acts and decrees enacted and promulgated at one time or another by different governments. Today, the Nigerian press exists in a very tenuous position. In the words of Eze (1993:21), “the jeremiad of complaints by the press have fallen on deaf ears of government whose alert and watchful eyes are permanently directed on what the press published with eager hands to censor and equal hostility to attack and arrest the reporters” The present democratic environment has not fully guaranteed a conducive operational atmosphere for journalists in the country. Even the democratic government of Olusegun Obasanjo since inception has, indeed, been characterized by pockets of attach on the press similar to what was obtainable during the military era.
However, since the time of colonial masters, journalists and freedom fighters have been clamouring for press freedom which were not full given like they are enjoying in United States of American. In fact the nation’s 1999 constitution that was expected to provide this freedom was just the replica of the 1979 constitution where the freedom was just give and take , going by the section 22 of chapter 2 of the 1999 constitution states that: “the press radio, television and other agencies of mass media shall at all time be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contain in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the public”
The constitution give the press a constitutional duty but failed to empowered them by law until the recent , May 27 2011 to be précised ,when Mr. president final give assent to a new freedom of information bill that had been unanimously scrutinized by the two chambers i.e House of Representatives and Senate House with a title: an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, project public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from adverse consequences for disclosing certain kinds of official information without authorization and establish procedures for the achievement of those purposes and related purposes thereof.
This study intends to examine to what extent has Nigeria Journalists have fully utilize the new freedom in their day to day activities.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This research is design to access the level of freedom enjoy by the press in Nigeria especially how freedom of information has been a plus for journalist in the discharge of their duties.
It also intent to compare and contrast the freedom of information during the military era and in present democratic dispensation.
The research focuses on various laws and legislation that hindered the freedom of information in Nigeria.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
i. To what extent has NTA faced challenges in information gathering?
ii. Does NTA have strategies to tackle the challenges of poor freedom of information
iii. To what extent has the freedom information law impacted on NTA?
iv. To what extent does new FIO law reshape the practice of journalism in Nigeria?
v. Does this new FOI law give total freedom on journalists?
vi. To what extent have journalists make use of the new freedom in their day to day assignment?
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
i. This study is pertinent to give the importance of press freedom in the development of democracy and the long history of the repression of press freedom in Nigeria a country with probably the most animated media environment in Africa.
ii. To x-ray the challenges of freedom of information and how journalists are being treated by the present government which limited the press as the fourth estate of the realm.
iii. To point out that press freedom is a major ingredient that press should enjoy during the democratic dispensation.
iv. To let the public aware that freedom of press is their own freedom; since media serve as public mouth piece.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The issue of the government/press relationship in Nigeria has raised a lot of interest both to the practitioners and the public, that a study into the phenomenon was long overdue.
This study will no doubt be useful to mass media practitioners in Nigeria and will help the public appreciate the numerous role of the press in Nigeria so as to enable them rise in defense of the press whenever it is threatened by excessive political power.
It is expected that at the end of this study, the work will update knowledge within the frame work of the study.
Particularly, it will assist people on the benefit of freedom of information to the press and society at large.
This study will draw the attention of the government to empower the press to carry out its duties.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this research work had been narrowed down to NTA for the purpose of convenience and lack of other logistics.
Although the research is basically focus on analysis of challenges facing freedom of information in Nigeria.
To this end, NTA is selected to represent all mass media in Nigeria while demographic NTA will be considered to access the number of staff, educational level, and qualification, working experience, sex, marital status and many more.
1.7 LIMITATIONS TO THE STUDY
This work is limited to NTA. However, other media houses can benefit from it. Also, time has posed a serious constrain to this work as other academic activities need to be attended to.
Inadequate fund to cover all media houses, even to visit NTA frequently was possible.
Another limitation was that few literature were available for this study, therefore, gathering of materials for this work became difficult.
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