Oxygen Of Democracy : NHRC Asks Nigerian Government To Protect, Support Journalists

The press is a critical agent for the protection of democracy and development and must be supported to enable them to effectively discharge their constitutional duties as the watchdog of the society, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said.

It observed that Nigerian journalists fought very hard to achieve the nation’s democratic status and deserve a better deal, unlike the current situation where many of them struggle with poor conditions of service among other challenges, including censorship, harassment, intimidation, and in some cases, assassinations.

NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, made the remarks on the eve of the celebration of the 2022 World Press Freedom Day which is commemorated annually on May 3.

He asked the society to see journalists as “the oxygen of democracy and agents of change and development,” adding that their constitutional duty which is enshrined in Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution as amended – “to hold the government accountable to the people” distinguishes them as those who perform an essential duty to the nation.

“At this time when Nigeria is at the crossroad of challenge of justice, equity, and fairness to stabilise our democracy, the press must defend democracy by its commitment to holding our governments accountable to the truth always no matter the difficulties of the times.

“It must remain the conscience of the nation, telling the truth at times like this, to save our democracy,” said a statement on Tuesday by the NHRC spokesperson, Fatimah Mohammed.

“This year’s theme for the celebration of World Press Freedom Day – “Journalism under digital siege” is apt as it seeks to bring to the fore, “the impact of the digital era on the freedom of the press, the security of journalists and access to information and privacy”.

-Channelstv