The scandal of the week was not the ‘cash and carry operations at the Ikoyi Prison,’where the size of the bribe determines the kind of jail cell a detainee gets, so meticulously chronicled by Mr. Fisayo Shoyombo, in a superb investigative effort. It was the threat to his life. The journalist was forced to go into hiding compelling him to skip some public engagements, whereas a grateful nation ought to garland him with plaudits for his service and in time reward him for the physical privations he went through to document his story.
Nigerians already knew that the justice system is not free from corruption. Shoyombo brought it down to earth in a compelling narrative, to give the zealots of the fight against corruption a reason to pause and, maybe, think. That Shoyombo is being sought for an arrest is truly a scandal, just as it was a fortnight ago when the Federal Government announced the escalation of the fines against ‘hate speech,’ by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Henceforth, Online and broadcast media organisations would pay 10 times more fines than earlier stipulated. Then there is Obinna Don Norman, publisher of theRealm News, who has been held since March for “harassing and defaming Senator T.A Orji.” Jones Abiri, publisher of the Weekly Source was captured the Gestapo style and forced into a vehicle at gunpoint as he was conversing with seven other journalists. Witnesses said the vehicles were similar to those used by the Department of State Services, just like the style of arrest. He was arrested years ago and held for two years without charge. And no one is sure what he has done for his current travails.
Agba Jalingo, the publisher of the Cross River Watch, seems to be in even hotter water. He is being charged with treason, terrorism, and attempt to overthrow the government of the Cross River State — with his newspaper. The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has appealed to the Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, to release him and drop all the charges because they hardly sound convincing. The NUJ National Secretary, Sha’aibu Usman, said it was strange that a “harmless publication” attracted such a response from the state government. All this sounds and feels like yet another military dictatorship environment.
But, this is a democratic dispensation. Indeed, the Press is regarded as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, although without the powers. It is still one of the manifestations of our ‘struggling’ democracy that there are many leaders who do not understand that the Press necessarily has to co-exist with the other institutions to have a meaningful democracy. The Press is an inescapable part and parcel of any democracy and when it is treated as described above, it is surely the clearest sign of a descent into tyranny. The offence committed by each of the above named journalists is often no more than saying something uncomplimentary, or critical of a governor or senator. Justice Simon Amobeda was said to have refused Agba Jalingo a bail. We hope he has been shown enough evidence of terrorism and treason to keep the young man in jail without bail. Obinna Norman was said to have defamed Senator Orji. But detention is not known as the legal remedy for defamation.
We commend Fisayo Shoyombo for his efforts. He deserves the nation’s gratitude for his sacrifice. In other lands where true leadership drives change, his report is enough to set off a total reorganisation of the Nigerian Prison System. Letting go a couple of officers, even jailing some more, would not do because the malady is systemic and fundamental.
Twenty years since the Fourth Republic and our third attempt to run a democracy, it is a matter of regret that in spite of the copious provisions in the Constitution guaranteeing Press Freedom, many Nigerians still do not understand the use of a critical Press. But the Press must remain part of our political culture because Section 22 of the Constitution states that the Press “shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives of Chapter II of the Constitution and “to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.” Section 39 also guarantees all Nigerians “the rights to freedom of expression and the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.” These are further reinforced by the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, domesticated as Cap. 10, LFA (1990), and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The attempts to gag the Press have always failed in Nigeria. They often lead to arbitrariness and government incompetence. The Nigerian Press has more than adequate institutions to regulate it. Besides, it is the oldest institution in Nigeria with a great deal of memory behind it.