World Ranking: Press freedom has worsened under Buhari – RSF

Reporters without Borders (RSF), on Wednesday, said press freedom in Nigeria has worsened since President Muhammadu Buhari took office on May 2015.

This was contained in the international press freedom index released by the orgnisation, which ranked Nigeria 122 out of 180 countries examined.

Since President Buhari took power in 2015, Nigeria, according to the index, has been on a decline on the world ranking, falling from 111 to 116 in the first year of the administration.

This year, 2017, the country recorded another fall, moving from 116 to 122 — entering the red-zone for press freedom across the world.

“In Nigeria, it is nearly impossible to cover stories involving politics, terrorism, or financial embezzlement.

Journalists are often threatened, subjected to physical violence, or denied access to information by government officials, police, and sometimes the public itself.

“The all-powerful regional governors are often their most determined persecutors. As Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria nonetheless has more than 100 independent media outlets.

“Online freedom was recently curbed by a cyber-crime law that punishes bloggers in an arbitrary manner,” RSF said.

According to the index, which was released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday, Norway, Sweden and Finland, are the countries with the best press freedom in the world -in that order.

The worst countries on the index are Syria, Turkmenistan, Eritrea and North Korea.

RSF said in 2017 alone, eight journalists have been killed across the world, while 193 are currently imprisoned.
Reacting to the report, Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media to President Buhari, said the administration is committed to press freedom in Nigeria.

Also, Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Buhari, said the president will never approve the humiliation of any journalist.