ABUJA—The International Press Institute, IPI, Nigeria has listed the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Olukayode Egbetokun; Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State and his Niger State counterpart, Mohammed Bago, in its Book of Infamy, for violating press freedom.
It also honoured Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Adeola Ajayi, for the reforms he has engendered in the secret police.
The Book of Infamy was unveiled by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the second Annual Conference of IPI Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday
While Egbetokun was said to have failed to heed the calls by IPI to stop the arbitrary arrests of journalists nationwide by his operatives, Eno was listed for barring the crew of Channels TV from covering the activities of Akwa Ibom State Government House.
Similarly, Governor Bago was listed for ordering the closure of Badeggi FM, a private radio station in his state.
The IPI Nigeria said the two governors were listed because they refused to heed its appeal to reconsider their decisions which, in the first place, they had no power to execute.
On the DG of DSS, the IPI described him as a listening head of a sensitive government agency, who has listened to interventions by the IPI and corrected wrongdoings pointed out to him.
Top on the list of his quiet achievements, according to the body, was the removal from the government’s watchlist of the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, after 40 years.
In his speech, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said an independent press was central to functioning democracy.
The minister, who was the Special Guest at the event, described a sure-footed, critical and independent press as the central nervous system of a functioning democracy.
He said: “But as we gather today (yesterday), our first duty must be to a shared foundation of facts. We must ask: does this theme describe our present reality? Or does it risk anchoring us to a sad past we are actively working to transcend?
“If the theme suggests an active, systemic policy of repression by the current administration, then we must, with respect, interrogate it against the available evidence.”
“A dialogue on freedom cannot itself be detached from fact. It is in that spirit of candour and shared purpose that I stand before you today, not to reel out a list of government achievements, but to present evidence and engage in a critical dialogue about the path we are walking together towards a more accountable and sustainable democracy.
“Let me state without any ambiguity that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu operates on the fundamental principle that a sure-footed, critical, and independent press is the central nervous system of a functioning democracy.
“It is significantly the mechanism through which a nation holds a conversation with itself. Our presence here today, under the chairmanship of the vice president, is a deliberate signal of our commitment to that conversation.”
Idris said security agencies now operate under stricter protocols to respect the rights of journalists in conflict zones and during civil demonstrations.
According to him, Tinubu’s administration has continued to guarantee the proper assurances of the enabling environment necessary for licensed media establishments to thrive and give more voices to our people without ambiguity or fear.
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