Letter From Africa: Why Journalists In Nigeria Feel Under Attack

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image captionFormer cabinet minister Femi Fani-Kayode launched proper right into a tirade in the direction of a journalist on dwell television

In our sequence of letter from African journalists, Mannir Dan Ali, former editor-in-chief of Nigeria’s Every day Perception newspaper, seems to be like at difficulties Nigerian journalists face for merely doing their job.

In Nigeria questions are nonetheless being requested about why some public officers ponder journalists to be their errand boys.

This follows the outrage that greeted a tongue-lashing one reporter obtained from a former authorities minister and member of the opposition Of us’s Democratic Get collectively (PDP).

It was all caught on video when Femi Fani-Kayode did not like a question he was requested by journalist Eyo Charles.

Mr Fani-Kayode, who holds no official place contained in the authorities or the PDP, has been publicly inspecting state authorities initiatives throughout the nation.

After each inspection, he has known as a press conference to current the problem a thumbs up.

It was in Calabar, the capital of Cross River, the third state he had visited in present months,

that Mr Fani-Kayode lost his cool when Charles requested him regarding the financing of his journeys: “Sir, please you did not open up to us who’s bankrolling you…”

Instead of even allowing the journalist to finish his question, a fuming Mr Fani-Kayode known as him “very foolish” and alleged that he appeared like a poor man who collected bribes, acknowledged proper right here as “brown envelopes”, from newsmakers.

This apparently was one amongst Mr Fani-Kayode’s least insulting run-ins with a journalist.

I too have had an encounter with him, when he was in authorities serving throughout the cabinet of then-President Olusegun Obasanjo larger than a decade previously.

It went previous an insult. It happened on the presidential villa, usually referred to as Aso Rock, the place he threatened to slap me, prompting completely different journalists to return again between us.

I had no thought on the time why he was offended; it was solely later I understood it was to do with controversial suggestions he had made in a dwell interview he had given to the BBC about Mr Obasanjo’s third term ambitions.

The interview grew to grow to be scorching data and he took his anger out on me as a result of the BBC reporter on the underside on the time.

Horsewhip danger

It isn’t solely Mr Fani-Kayode who perceives journalists as irritants.

Some months once more, the governor of south-eastern Ebonyi state banished two journalists from practising there over what he said was their penchant for writing unfavourable experiences regarding the state.

“When you occur to imagine you might have the pen, we have the koboko,” the governor warned using an space phrase for a horsewhip.

Media reaction to the governor’s order led to a reversal of the banishment.

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A lot of years previously on the Every day Perception, we would have liked to tug out a reporter from a state after some thugs beat him up at a public event after the state governor took exception to his experiences.

In its contact upon the present Fani-Kayode incident, Amnesty Worldwide condemned the fashion whereby the journalist was dealt with.

“Journalists search accountability on behalf of the people and should not be threatened or abused for asking questions,” the human rights body’s statement said.

Most people outcry has now compelled Mr Fani-Kayode to apologise to the journalist – though he is nonetheless threatening to take the Every day Perception newspaper and one amongst its columnists to courtroom docket over the matter.

Clearly this is not the ultimate to be heard on the uneasy relationship between the media and Nigeria’s newsmakers.

Apart from threats and verbal assaults, there are moreover delicate strategies whereby the media in Nigeria, and I dare say in a number of completely different African worldwide places, is hobbled.

Some authorities organisations and big corporations deny selling to retailers they ponder have given them unfavourable safety.

Then there’s the poor remuneration and even outright non-payment of salaries by some media properties, which signifies that some journalists have allegiances to people who can pay.

Some actively search cash handouts sooner than they cowl events or do tales.

Beggars’ palace

From my experience as a journalist in Nigeria, it isn’t solely the rich and extremely efficient who assume journalists are on the take.

One vivid event involved the head of a bunch of beggars at a large rubbish dump in Ijora Badia, a slum in Lagos.

I had gone to interview him for the BBC throughout the late 1990s to hunt out out what he manufactured from an strive by the authorities to get beggars off the streets and proper right into a rehabilitation centre.

He was holding courtroom docket at what he known as his palace, constructed correct on the prime of the tip from discarded picket, the place he scoffed on the proposal.

Afterwards, he insisted I take a wad of naira notes from him.

image copyrightGetty Pictures

image captionSome journalists anticipate to be paid for safeguarding events by the organisers

I saved refusing and it took an prolonged clarification for him to know that I wished no incentive from him to do my job.

Additional recently at a US embassy event to mark Press Freedom day in Abuja, a youthful reporter wanted to know why it was not correct to take to money for safeguarding events.

He felt it was like paying those who make reveals at workshops and completely different capabilities.

One among many audio system on the event outlined delicately with a proverb, saying “the hand of the giver is on a regular basis on the bottom of the hand of the taker” – implying that when a journalist takes such selections, he or she is unlikely to be aim or ask the troublesome questions.

Sadly in Nigeria at these unusual moments when uncomfortable questions do get requested, a journalist can get the Fani-Kayode treatment.