The ongoing harassment of newspaper vendors which includes seizure of newspapers, arrest of circulation drivers of several newspaper publishing companies as well as depriving the reading public access to information by operatives of the Nigerian military and other security agencies is absolutely unacceptable and clearly out of place in any democratic society.
The military and all the security agencies ought to know that all fundamental rights are germane to democracy and therefore lack constitutional and legal rights to unilaterally order the circumscription of freedom of press or any freedom in any form as we cannot find the link between insecurity and a free press in democratic governance. There is an urgent need to prove the culpability of the news media in the ongoing violent attacks against people and critical facilities in Nigeria.
For us, we strongly believe a free press is very critical in the sustenance of democracy and any obstruction to the operations of any critical organ of our democratic process would be resisted as the recent infringements in the circulation of newspapers portend. In any case foreign media organizations seem to have more access to information on these violent groups, especially Boko Haram, than our security agents.
The military and other security agencies must restrict themselves to the protection of our sovereignty and go after those threatening this with violent attacks that have almost disappointingly overwhelmed those paid to protect lives and property, despite huge budgetary allocations.
The security challenges we face must not be politicized and perhaps those in authority must know they are responsible and accountable to all Nigerians no matter what class, dogma, ethnic or political dispositions, and must not see governance with political bias. Democracy cannot survive without the media; no democracy anywhere in the world can survive with a circumscribed media. Freedom of and access to information is what builds democracy and we must not allow any of our security agencies or military formations befuddle our collective quest for sustained democratic governance.
The period of impunity associated with unaccountable military dictatorships should not be reawakened by those elected under democratic platforms as this will mean an open invitation to anarchy.
What Nigeria and Nigerians need now is an end to the ongoing armed attacks and we believe all agencies responsible for the protection of lives and properties in Nigeria are capable of ensuring this if well motivated, better equipped and not partisan.
In the course of disrupting newspaper circulations, not a few have been left in deeper agony and poverty since their means of livelihood have come under armed attacks by those expected to protect them.
The war against the media should not only be stopped immediately, all those who suffer losses especially vendors and publishers must be compensated while the officers involved in the attacks must be apprehended and adequately punished as enemies of democracy.
What we all want is a total annihilation of all gangs that threaten lives and properties in Nigeria and the media have not been proved to be part of this threat. Instead, they have helped everyone with useful information, which also encourage security consciousness among citizens.
We all want results and the military and other security agencies involved in the battle against the budding insurgency in Nigeria need to urgently prove their abilities and professional prowess through the safe rescue of the Chibok girls seized since almost two months, and also apprehend the violence that have engulfed our country.
Abdulwahed Omar
President
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