11th April, 2013
By Nkrumah Bankong-Obi
Once rumour mill began chugging about President Goodluck Jonathan’s ambition for a second term in office in 2015, many people who have ‘political ears’ were waiting for news of what is to come. In climes where politics and brigandage are not clearly defined, the future for such waiters is unpredictable. The only ‘normal’ thing in the circumstance, as we are in now, is government’s loquacious chant of developmental mantras that are unspeakably antithetical to what obtains on ground. Gradually, however, the road map to the harvest day is beginning to shape-up. The lush vegetation that time allowed is desiccating as 2015 approaches. As the days become evil for political office seekers, the more virulent they unleash what they perceive as their most destructive arsenal targeting their opponents. And as it is always the case in our country, even the press, that should enjoy protection from political aggressors, as enshrined in the constitution, is exposed to the darts in the hands of those who aim to protect their fiefs.
Democracy, when this happens, as it is happening now, becomes the victim in the hands of people who swore to protect her. Democracy is fancied the world over because of its unique features. Apart from providing a compass with which the affairs of the state are navigated, it effectively protects the people and those entrusted with power adequately against the side-effects of human relationships. One of the cardinal characteristics of this system of government is the freedom of expression it grants the citizens of a nation where democracy is practised. Nigeria, since the return to civil rule in 1999 dons the toga of a democratic nation, implying that it should possess the credentials that identify a democratic society. The press, the watchdog of the three arms of government and the mouthpiece of the society, should function without any inhibition. This is why it is worrisome that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration flouted this sacred rule this week, with the detention of four Journalists in the employ of Leadership Newspaper for an offence they clearly didn’t commit.
The journalists who were detained for publishing a story titled “Outrage Trails Presidential Directive On Tinubu And APC,” include: Mrs. Chinyere Fred Adebulugbe, the company’s director of Human Capital resources, Chuks Ohuegbe, Managing Editor, Tony Amokeodo, Group News Editor and Chibuzor Ukaibe, a political affairs reporter. The rationale for their detention smacks of wanton abuse of power by the police and those pulling the strings behind the scene for the persecution of the journalists. Besides publishing the story, the newspaper also published a bromide of the presidential directive which was the source of its story. And for staying faithful to the ethics of their profession by declining to disclose the source of its information, the pressmen have become the butt of a persecution, as evidenced in their detention. This can only be the imprint of a dictatorship. The fact that these gentlemen were detained and coerced to disclose the source of their information brings to mind the gory memories of our not too distant past as a nation. Remember how under the cloak of Decree 4, Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson were sentenced to life jail for reporting a verified story in 1984 by the Buhari/Idiagbon regime. The press also had its most trying times under the despotic juntas of Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha. It is ironical that this same President who signed the Freedom of Information bill into law will behave in the manner of despots who ruled Nigeria before him. This latest gaffe adds to the litany of missteps by this administration in the quest to retain the presidency in two years’ time.
We believe, as the journalists who are currently being subjected to indignities, that if the government or the police feel so strongly about its case, it should approach the court, which is the arbiter in such cases to compel the journalists to disclose the identity of their sources. By refusing to toe this line, this government which is already shorn of any form of democratic finesse, is inadvertently giving vent to the authenticity of the story as published by Leadership Newspaper. Government should prove its innocence by allowing the courts to adjudicate on the matter rather than using raw might to crush a factual story that is backed-up by such glittering evidence. The detained journalists claim to have seen their predator, in this case the police officer in-charge of their ‘welfare’ receive a call, probably an order from above. The end product of that call was a further quizzing which meant the gentlemen staying the night in police custody without the consent or directive of any competent court of law.
The misfortune here is that the journalists who manage President Jonathan’s public image have once again cringed when it mattered most. For refusing to advice their paymasters against using the police illegally against the Leadership Newspaper team to extract information, the entire media team in this presidency has failed in their responsibility both to principal and to the country.
The very essence of fundamental liberty has been trounced once more. Like the despot before him, our President has clearly told those who care to listen that his gentle mien does not preclude him from exhibiting dictatorial tendencies. He is on course in that direction. Problem is when the press is successfully gagged, will the truth always be shut up? Never!
•Obi wrote from Lagos. e-mail: [email protected]