Nigeria’s president once described press freedom as a “sound democratic ideal”. His promise is wearing thin
, Muhammadu Buhari, once described press freedom as a “sound democratic ideal”. At the time he was on the presidential campaign trail, keen to prove himself a democrat and to jettison the baggage of his 20 months as military ruler in the 1980s. He told bosses of media companies that, if elected, he would uphold the constitution and respect freedom of speech.
Four years on—and just weeks into his second term in office—that promise is wearing thin. Earlier this month the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission switched off transmission from Nigeria’s oldest private television channel and from radio stations owned by Raymond Dokpesi, a member of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, for “inciting broadcasts and media propaganda against the government”. Within 24 hours they were back on air after a federal high court overturned the suspension.
Nigeria has vibrant and critical media. And unlike several other African leaders, Mr Buhari has never tried to shut down the internet to silence critics. But repression is on the rise. The Nigerian Guild of Editors called the closure of the stations a “barbaric crackdown” on free speech and pointed out that the government has closed several other radio and television stations over the past year.
The lyrics of a musician Mr Buhari’s old military regime once jailed, the late Fela Kuti, still resonate as powerfully as ever. “Je’nwi temi” , he crooned in Yoruba.section of the print edition under the headline
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