An Appraisal of Democracy and Press Freedom in Nigeria

Abstract

Press freedom is an essential ingredient of the democratic culture. The higher the degree of press freedom allowed in any country, the higher the degree of democracy its citizens enjoy. This paper argues that there is a link between democracy and the extent of press freedom in any society but years of military rule had strongly hindered press freedom in Nigeria. The paper further argues that government across all eras be it colonial, military and democratic has been plagued with mistrust and hatred for the press. Successive governments churned out malicious press laws to emasculate the press which offer a potent and enduring platform for a healthy democracy. The paper concludes that obnoxious press laws by successive governments have hindered press freedom, and that despite the democratic rule in Nigeria today, some of these press laws still exist in our legal statutes that infringe on press freedom. The paper recommends that the atmosphere of military hangover which pervades in our environment should be completely eliminated, thus, all anti-press laws that have colonial or military rule history should be expunged from our laws to pave way for a democratic press that operates according to democratic
tenets.