Nigerian editors express concerns over many anti-media, free speech laws

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has expressed concerns about the plethora of obnoxious and anti-media laws in the country’s legal book.

Consequently, it naugurated a five-member committee to work closely with the office of Minister of Information and National Orientation, National Assembly, the Attorney-General of the Federation/Minister of Justice, and other stakeholders to start the process of amending the laws or repealing them outright.

The committee members include a pro-media rights activist and member of NGE, Richard Akinnola; a lawyer/former Editor of Punch Newspaper, Gbemiga Ogunleye; former Editor-In-Chief/Managing Director of The Guardian, Martins Oloja; Deputy Editor-In-Chief/Chairman, Editorial Board of Daily Trust, Idris Hamza, and the General Secretary of the Guild, Iyobosa Uwugiaren.

In a statement jointly signed by the NGE President, Eze Anaba and Mr Uwugiaren, the professional body of editors/media executives, said that its decision was informed by the ‘’chilling effects’’ of the legislations on the nation’s democracy and press freedom.

According to the Guild, ‘’We are concerned about the negative impact of these plethora of obnoxious laws; some of them were enacted by the colonial government, which today are undermining accountability and transparency at all levels of government. Anti-media laws can make it more difficult for journalists to hold those in power accountable, allowing corruption and abuse of power to go unchecked.

‘’These anti-media laws also have the capacity to restrict the ability of Nigerians to express their opinions and participate in robust public conversation that is capable of undermining the fundamental right to free speech.’’

The Guild added that despite the existence of the Freedom of Information Act in the country’s statutory book, anti-media laws have hugely limited access to information, thereby making it challenging for Nigerians to make informed decisions and participate in the democratic process.

‘’We argue that the huge deficit of trust by Nigerians against government today is caused by these obnoxious laws. Anti-media laws have the capacity to erode trust in institutions, including the government, judiciary, and media, thereby undermining the legitimacy of democratic institutions.

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‘’They can also concentrate power in the hands of political elite and those in government, allowing them to control the narrative and suppress dissenting voices, including opposition parties, civil society organisations, and individual activists, as we are currently witnessing in the country.,”’ it said.

The Guild explained that to further avoid damage to nation’s democratic culture and values, the committee is expected to engage the Minister of Information/National Orientation, the National Assembly and other stakeholders in identifying those laws with the aim of addressing the threat, which the anti-media laws pose to democratic stability -as they can create an atmosphere in which authoritarianism can flourish.

The Guild said that its interest on the issues is not just about the necessity to create the enabling environment for press freedom and free speech to flourish, but more importantly, its determination to deepen the nation’s democracy and by extension, good governance at all levels of government in the country, in line with the agenda of the federal government.