By Joy Baba – Yesufu
Global Rights Nigeria, has called for solidarity for journalists from civil society organizations and the Nigeria society at large as a way to ensure free media which is free from the pockets of politicians.
Executive Director of the organization, Abiodun Baiyewu made the call during a webminar over the weekend as part of activity to mark 2024 World Press Freedom day with the theme: Freedom of press in peril: raising the bar for press freedom in Nigeria.
Baiyewu also called for a change in the culture of silence from the society whenever a journalist is either abducted or harassed adding that journalist unions should come together and ensure that their voices are heard when critical national issues are being discussed.
She maintained that everyday people on the street should also be sensitized on what is going on with journalist and how important they are to our democracy, our economy, and the integrity of our country
According to her “right now, we can’t change the way the media is funded, it is largely funded by politicians and it will take a while and a bit of innovation and support from other segments of society to ensure free media which is also free from the pockets of politicians, we can’t change that right now but there are things we can change, we can change the silence when things happen to journalist.
“We can change international solidarity, Nigeria journalists can have a meeting with them and ask for a collaboration whereby when things happen on our local scene, it is amplified internationally, we will draw more traction”.
Also speaking, Lanre Arogundade of the International Press Centre said the Nigerian press have not fared well over time as we are still talking about series of attacks on journalists.
“We are still talking about 44 cases the centre documented in 2023 with the perpetrators ranging from state government, federal institutions like the police, to political thugs and unknown gunmen” he said.
