Tinubu asserts media rights respect, despite record number of journalist detentions

PEOPLES GAZETTE

After jailing dozens of Nigerian journalists in his first year as president, Bola Tinubu is touting his credentials as a bona fide respecter of media rights in the most populous Black nation.

In a world where everyone is a journalist it is difficult to chase down factual stories. More worrisome is the attacks professional journalists face,” said Mr Tinubu’s spokesman, Sunday Dare, on Tuesday. “There can be no substitute for fact-based ethical journalism. And even with that journalists get arrested and interrogated. It comes with the terrain. Under the military it was worse. President Tinubu respects the media and will protect journalists.”

Several journalists have been arrested since Mr Tinubu assumed power on May 29, 2023, with the police and SSS using the Cybercrime Act as a smokescreen. A rabid raid against journalists both in person and online has continued despite the president’s claim that he is media-friendly.

Nigeria was ranked as one of the most challenging countries for journalists in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, indicating how Nigerian journalists were regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested.