In commemoration of this year's World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), and Fact Check Africa have called on the government to foster an environment conducive to independent journalism and the safety of journalists.
Concerns Over Media Freedom
Themed 'Shaping a future at peace,' MRA's programme officer, Ayomide Eweje, noted that the state of media freedom in Nigeria remains deeply troubling, characterized by persistent and escalating attacks on journalists and media organizations, growing hostility toward the press, and an increasingly restrictive environment for independent reporting. Over the past year, she recalled a pattern of intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrests, and detention of journalists by security agencies and other state actors.
Call for Compliance with Court Orders
Eweje urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to comply with a February 16, 2024 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which directed the government to investigate, prosecute, and punish perpetrators of attacks against journalists and other media practitioners, and to take measures to prevent further attacks. She noted that the government's failure to comply with the court's orders more than two years later is enabling impunity and encouraging further attacks on journalists.
Misuse of Laws
Eweje observed that the misuse of laws and regulations to stifle dissent remains a major challenge. Provisions of the Cybercrime Act and other laws have been deployed to target journalists, bloggers, and media platforms, often under the guise of maintaining national security, public order, or protecting the reputations of public officials and other influential members of society.
Fact Check Africa's Stance
Co-editor of Fact Check Africa, Habeeb Adisa, emphasized that an environment where the media can operate freely and safely is critical for holding power accountable, countering falsehoods, and ensuring citizens have access to accurate and reliable information. He stated that Fact Check Africa stands in solidarity with media professionals who face intimidation, censorship, and threats in the line of duty, and paid tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in pursuit of truth, acknowledging their courage and sacrifice in defending the public's right to know.
Call for Peaceful Future
Adisa called on the government and stakeholders to actively shape a future of peace by protecting press freedom as a foundation for human rights, development, and security. He concluded that safeguarding press freedom remains essential to building transparent, accountable, and peaceful societies. Fact Check Africa recognizes that press freedom is fundamental to the work of fact-checkers and journalists.
UNESCO's Message
Similarly, UNESCO stated, 'May 3 acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.' This year's conference was held in Lusaka, Zambia on May 4, 2026.
