By ‘Sola Fagorusi
The last newspaper would be published somewhere in Africa in 2028!The last one! The most resilient of them! – Bayo Onanuga, Editor of TheNews quoting a research finding.
The events of the last couple of days call for attention and unease. Depending on which account one reads and belief, there seems to be attempts to muzzle the press – the ones that have been described as writers of history in a hurry. There seems to be some form of concern that the fourth estate of the realm, as described by Edmund Burke in 1787, may need to restrategise to get past the wall between it and readers of its content. There is a seething growl between the state and the press. Who is afraid of newspapers? This is the question some social media commentaries have relentlessly placed on the table.
The report in the public is that some newspapers were seized following information that they contained news item that are can cause government some inconvenience. The Defence Headquarters has denied this saying it was in no way “confiscating critical newspapers” rather it is “a routine security action and should not be misconstrued.” This apparently came with intelligence that some materials with “grave security concern were being moved using the channels of newsprint”. Given the rising insecurity in the country, the army’s move is certainly justifiable. There have been instances of robbers being ingenious to move in ambulances during and after robbery and drug peddlers using plate numbers of traditional rulers to evade arrest. Knowing how terrorists in Nigeria have also become ingenious and deadly, caution is not out of place. What is worrisome is the means this was communicated and the activities that followed the search. Seizing newspapers bound for distribution and arresting the drivers for hours without explanation falls short of the spirit of pro-citizen security operations. Were the ‘materials with grave security’ concern printed words?
The Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Press have a long history of relationship. The years of military rule in Nigeria cemented this cat and mouse relationship! Whilst the military was in charge, the authoritarian and dictatorial nature of the state made it possible to arrest and journalist arbitrarily and shut down any media house without question. Democracy changed all of that. And it’s easy to wonder if democracy would have been birthed in Nigeria but for the men of the press who paid with their lives, blood and belongings. The list of these men and women who fought with their pen is a roll call of men and women of conviction and honour.
This is 2014, a lot different from 1999 when military rule was finally shut down in the country. This is 2014 where a teenager can engage with a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria using internet outlets and his freedom of speech cover to do so. Olufela Anikulapo-Kuti prior to his death in 1997 was known for his genre of music which always caused discomfort to military rulers after the lyrics landed on their tympanic membrane. There is an interesting story about an arrest instruction that Olaniyan Tejumola shared in his 2004 book on Fela titled – Arrest the Music! Fela and his rebel art and politics. Following an instruction to stop Fela from performing, the police officer leading the enforcement got to the venue of the performance with his colleagues. Seeing that Fela was already performing, the confused officer not knowing what to do instructed his colleagues to arrest the music! Confused as well, they in turn made for the musical instruments and that was how the performance was shut down.
Today, the channels are different. The physical medium can be stopped but the message gets even more viral. There is no newspaper in Nigeria worth its salt that does not have an online platform from where it reachs out. When the online experiment started, some tried to charge for it asking people to buy cards granting access to the full news. Understanding it was not sustainable, that idea has since been buried and sustenance of the platform has majorly been through advertisement revenue. If the idea by state actors is to cause unpleasant news not to be circulated, then the recent method is ancient. Whilst the arrest was being made by 2am in some places, the news had already been read on some platforms at 12am when they were placed online. For an effective seal of a news story, the solution would lie in arresting the internet!
The physical medium can be stopped but the virtual medium cannot be. Nigeria is ranked in the Education For All’s Global Monitoring Report as one of the countries with the highest level of illiteracy. Illiteracy rate in Nigeria is put at 56 million as recently pronounced by the National Mass Education Commission (NMEC). Nonetheless, the population of internet users in Nigeria according to Internet World Statistics is 55.9 million. This is a population more than the combined human population in Ghana and Cameroun.
At a time when the military’s capacity in Nigeria is in doubt given its let-down to quickly and successfully bring the raging insurgency in the country to a close, the idea of confrontation with the press is a wrong one. The watchdog/surveillance role of the press means it will always keep its ears on the ground and stick its nose into state affairs. The press remains accountable to the citizenry and the military also owe the citizenry the responsibility of providing territorial security.
The war on terror direly needs the cooperation of the press and citizens. The military must by all means not be seen as being against the people. The dream should be a coming time when Nigerians would beg for photo-ops with any military person in uniform. If anything, press outfits would see this as an opportunity to retool properly for the days ahead using the very evasive internet as the tool. I am not sure of the figures but the internet has occasioned a rise in the number of news sites in Nigeria and this is asides the about 13 million citizen journalists on Facebook and Twitter!
Truly, the media has been known to have leanings since he who pays the piper dictates the tune despite being a voice for citizens. That’s a controversial discuss anytime it is raised. If it is the state working behind the scene to assault the press, then it needs to know it is a battle it cannot win especially now, except if the internet is arrested.
________________________________________________________
‘Sola Fagorusi
Sola Fagorusi is a youth development advocate, freelance writer, accomplished debater cum coach. The Obafemi Awolowo University graduate has about 10 years experience in social entrepreneurship which straddles leadership, good governance cum anti-corruption and adolescent reproductive health. The Leap Africa alumnus is also a trained peer educator, a DESPLAY alumnus and co-facilitator. For 2 years now, he has been a technical consultant and lead judge on the Intra-Faith Peace Youth TV Debate Project facilitated by Youngstars Foundation and the British High Commission. To read his full profile, click here.
