CHAPTER
ONE – INTRODUCTION
1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Press freedom and fundamental human rights are two terms that can make or
mar a society.
Press
freedom and fundamental human rights can make a society where they are given
their right place and proper attention. In the same, vein, the two can mar
society where they are not given their proper place and respect. Infact they
are like two sides of the coin.
A respect for fundamental human rights
thus becomes a respect for human person. To understand how fundamental human
rights work in a society is to understand the position of press freedom in that
society. Because a society cannot have fundamental human rights in operation
without first of all having press freedom in place, since the press is the
voice of the voiceless society.
Moreover to understand press freedom and
fundamental human rights in ,
one must at the social systems where they operate. To put this in perspectives,
that is pertinent to review the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and the Sani Abacha
military regimes and the supposed democratic government of Olusegun Obasanjo,
during the period under military review in Nigeria, press freedom and
fundamental human right were conceived not for the great mans of people for men
who were in position to guide and direct their fellows. This freedom was
thought to be created near the hub of power. This is to say that once one is in
power or in uniform, the person is above the law in some aspects of life.
The press therefore functioned from the
top to down. The rulers of the time used the press to inform the masses of what
they want to hear. Know and support.
For instance the government used the
media to project only its programme and policies. But after all these, the fate
of press freedom still hangs the balance.
However
as stated earlier, no person can talk freedom of the press without first of all
thinking of fundamental human right. When human rights are held in bondage, the
press cannot find a fertile ground to practice, hence the clamp on the press
article one (1) of the universal declaration of human rights say ‘all human
beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Human rights and equal in
dignity and rights. Human rights thus become birth right that flows from
parents to children. This becomes possible as human beings are endowed with
reason and consciences. There were severe retroactive laws as well as numerous
absolutist decrees which inter-alia legalized illegalities and also drastically
eroded fundamental human rights.
Nevertheless, these constitute were mere
interludes in the long tragedies of violation unleashed on innocent citizens by
the military regimes, more especially the Babangida and Abacha regimes, the
case is not all that different in this Obasanjo administration but the
treatment that time was sugar coated which may prove more dangerous. It is a
form of good will but it was actually deceitful. A situation where a political
party claims that it has chosen a consensus candidates to represent it in a
political post or to use its platform to contest a political post while it is
not so, this is denial of human rights of citizens in a democratic setting, it
is fitting for the citizen in a political party to generally select the person
who will use its name to contest for political post.
Most
of the atrocities committed against the citizens were never reported during the
regimes of Babangida and Abacha, as decrees were promulgated to trap those
pressmen who cleared to publish government’s violation of human rights. As for
Obasanjo administration such pressmen will be sacked without benefits. As a
result of this ugly development against pressmen, freedom of press
becomes and remains a mirage.
Today
the government frowns at who invites or comments on the regressing standard of
education in
and its attendants problems. It is even more shameful that citizens do not know
what is happening in their country, simply because there is no press freedom, at
the same time government is claiming to be running a democratic state. The
situation has so determine, that many events in are first reported by
foreign press before the local one. Sometimes, the Nigerian press never reports
such occurrences. As a result of intimidation to Journalists and media
operators, many Nigerians are ignorant of events in or in the country. For
example, the day Abacha died. It was the foreign media that reported it first
and those Nigerians who do not have access to foreign reports got the news
later when it was announced in .
Consequently,
the civil liberties organization (CLO) annual report about and
becomes a useful guide in appreciating the dept of ruthlessness and lawlessness
of Babangida and Abacha regimes, including the Obasanjo administration. The
executive thus arrogates to itself the power to accuse, arrest, make out
punishment without recourse to the law courts. In the cast of the past military
regimes, law courts were rendered important, new decrees were rolled out to
deal with critics of government without the due process of law. Though the bill
of human rights, the universal declaration of Federal Republic of Nigeria, have
fundamental human rights, embedded in them, but implementation of such
provisions is the case.
The
press and government have observed the relationship existing between them as that
of “friendly enemies, the press will be doing everything it knows now for
government in power and the masses, but the only reward the press gets is Gail
sentences, confiscation of their newspapers and magazines, writing of threat
letters. Sometime send death through letter bombs as was the case of Dele Giwa
during the Babangida regime and so on.
Nevertheless,
the importance and functions of the press cannot be over emphasized in a
secular society like ours. These functions of the press are:-
CORRELATION:
(1997) and Wright (1975) wrote that, “Correlation includes the
interrelationship about the environment and prescription for conduct in
reaction to these events. This is the editorial or opinion function which is
otherwise pejoratively referred to as propaganda agenda setting.
SOCIALIZATION
OR EDUCATION: Wright further said that occur on
communicating knowledge’s, values and social norms from one generation to
another from members of a group of newcomers. This is done through informal
education.
SURVEILLANCE:
According to Wright, surveillance “refers to the collection and distribution of
information, concerning events in the environment, both outside and within any
particular society” this function of the press helps in guiding the live of the
individual in society.
ENTERTAINMENT:
Wright
sees entertainment as “communicative it’s primarily intended for amusement,
irrespective of any instrumental effect they might have. This is geared towards
providing some amusement relaxation and relief from tension. It is basically
meant to offer escape from hard, stressful times.
These
functions of the press are very vital for the country and the press in society
cannot be over emphasized.
1.1
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Press freedom cannot be discussed while isolating
fundamental human rights. That is why article (1) of the universal declaration
of human rights says that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity
and rights. A nation may be in place, but without psychological welfare going
on in it by this, the nation might be a multi ethics state, where some citizens
will be depraved of some of their rights. This such a nation is lacking in its
fundamental human rights, Martin Luther King Jr. statement “peace is not
absence of conflict but the presence of justice. The unfortunate thing is that
the poor masses of a country like do not know what their
rights are, they find it very difficult to fight for their rights. This is
where the work of the pressmen becomes important, to fight the social ills in
the country. But the question is, are the pressmen free to operate in Nigeria,
thus the press profession is like the biblical contest between Moses and
pharaoh, where Moses was demanding for the release of his people to go to the
land of promise, so that they would be free to express themselves, without fear
of obnoxious decrees. But so long as the persecution of the journalists
persists, practicing journalists cannot rest on their bars this study will look
at:
The extent fundamental human rights are
observed since the administration of Olusegun Obasango from 1999-2003 till
date. Some national dailies and magazines will be studied to establish friends
in human rights violations.
1.2
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
To
highlight the importance of press freedom, to look into how the press is being
handled and determine how the press freedom can faster fundamental human rights
in .
To
generate enough date that will serve as motivator for future researchers in
this area of one’s communicating.
This work will be beneficial to media
professionals politicians and anyone in society.
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This work
among other things will look for a way of projecting Nigerian’s human rights
and press freedom records in a good light both in and outside of the country.
This work will be beneficial to media professionals, politicians, researchers
and people from all walk of life.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
i) Research question, how was press freedom
influence fundamental human rights.
The questions is taken care of by data
in table 4.4 which said that press freedom has influence on fundamental human
right, the press is seen as the voice of the voiceless in society. The reason
being that anytime the press is doing its job effectively, it always influence
and attract positively the operations of fundamental human right, that is
peoples fundamental human rights are not easily violated by this means that the
press speaks of society.
ii)
How the press has failed under the
Obasanjo administration is answered by data in table 4.1 which showed that the
press is free in .
iii)
Fundamental human rights determine
press freedom the questions was answered by data in table 4.3 which said that
the idea of freedom to Nigeria journalist and citizens is a positive
suggestion, the reason being that when ever fundamental human right is in
operation, it automatically guarantees press freedom.
1.5
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This
study is limited only to the survey of Babangida and Sani Abacha’s military
regimes and Obasanjo’s Civilian administration. The data required for this
study will be collected from the under graduate of political science,
politicians who worked with the government and the general public in a randomly
selection in
and .
1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS
It
is important to state that conceptual definition refers to the actual meaning
of terms as in dictionary; it is the general motion of a particular term. While
operational definition refers to meaning as it suits the another or the way its
would be in a content. It is given by the author. Note that the operational
definition comes before conceptual terms.
MEDIA: Singular form of medium, it refers to
the channel used in the transmission of message to the audiences, thus radio,
television, newspaper and magazine. In this media is referred to all types of
medium whether electronic or print.
According to oxford dictionary press freedom is the right of
journalists to report events and express opinions freely. PRESS FREEDOM can be
defines as right or free access to information and right to report news without
government deprivations. It can also means the art of publishing material
without submitting to government authority for permission.
PRESS: The press in this frame work refers to a print and electronic medium of
communication. It can also refer to newspaper or periodicals collectively or
publishing house.
FREEDOM: In this content, it means giving access, liberty not under compulsion
or restraint by any authority.
JOURNALISM: The profession which involves working in a media house,
sometimes it is regarded as press work. This is profession which antecedent
entails conducting and writing for public journals.
REGIME: It refers to a period of a particular government in power, examples are
that of Abacha and Abubakar. It means also a system of government or
administration usually military.
HUMAN RIGHTS: These right which are inherent in the nature of human beings
without which we cannot live as human beings. This refers to those principles
and freedom given human being in order to satisfy nature.
TYRANNY:
It means abuse of power, ruling authoritatively without the consent of the
citizens. It refers to using power arbitrary and oppressively.
ETHICS:
ethics of journalism refers to widely accepted standard of practice in the
profession. It is the profession standard conduct in journalism.
DECREES:
These are laws made by the military which are not constitutional. This is the
order edict law by one authority.
PRESCRITION:
Withdrawal of license and closure of news paper or magazine organization.
DETENTION: It means conferment of arrest due
to an offence committed before trail in a court of law. It also means
restriction of liberty especially of political provisional law; A rule of
action establish by authority.
CIVIL LIBERTY
ORGANIZATION (CLO):
This is an organization in
which is formed to fight against the abuse of human rights. The incumbent
president in
is Ayobe. It has other branches in other countries of the world.
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION
OF HUMAN RIGHTS:
This is united nation commission where thirty articles
of human rights are written for the whole worlds observation.
VANGUARD NESPAPER: A national newspaper publisher at Apapa Surellere of state in .
TELL MAGAZINE: A democratic and truthful magazine
published in ,
its truthful publication his mostly handed the editors and reporters in
detention.
NEWSWATCH: This is a nationwide magazine
published in
its leadership should be up to 20,000 at a circulation world wide.