He stated this in a statement in Lagos on Thursday, in which four human rights and media support organisations called on federal and state governments to adopt measures towards enhancing media freedom and safety of journalists in Nigeria.

The groups announced their collaborative activities to commemorate 2024 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD 2024) in Lagos and Abuja on May 3.

They are, the MRA and Global Rights: Advocates for Sustainable Justice, in collaboration with the International Press Centre, IPC, and the Centre for Media and Society, CEMESO.

“As the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day on May 3, we wish to reaffirm our commitment to upholding the fundamental principles of free speech, independent journalism, and the protection of press freedoms worldwide knowing that a free and independent media is the oxygen of democracy.

“We are determined to work with like-minded individuals and organisations towards the emergence of an environment where media professionals can carry out their professional functions without fear or intimidation and where the media can realize its true purpose,” Ojo said.

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On his part, Mr Lanre Arogundade, Director of IPC, commended journalists for their resilience in the face of challenges.

He lauded journalists who continue to pursue the truth, often at great personal risk.

“We also promise that we shall continue to render whatever support we can to ensure that the atmosphere is made conducive for them to ply their trade,” he said.

Dr Akin Akingbulu, Executive Director of CEMESO, called on governments, civil society organisations, and public to join the collaboration towards defending press freedom, protection of journalists, and ensuring that information remained a public good accessible to all.

“Together, let us stand united in support of press freedom and the fundamental principles of democracy,” he said.

The human rights and media support say they would be convening in Lagos on Friday to commemorate World Press Freedom Day.

The theme of the event is: “The Imperative of Media Freedom for Democratic Governance.”

It is said to be aimed at underscoring the role media play in promoting transparency, accountability, good governance and democracy.

It will attract media stakeholders drawn from among journalists and editors, media owners and managers, civil society organisations, the academia, and others, participating physically and virtually.

Activities will include journalists who have faced various forms of attacks sharing their experience and a presentation on counselling for victims, as well as presentations on civil society efforts designed to strengthen the media as they strive to promote democracy, human rights and social justice.

The statement added that a separate event will be hosted in Abuja by Global Rights in collaboration with MRA and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR.

The event, a Webinar, is aimed at sparking a conversation on how to safeguard press freedoms in Africa and how the operational environment for the press can be improved in Nigeria and across the continent.

It will identify global best practices that create a conducive and enabling environment for the press and share experiences of how they can be domesticated in a way that makes them more easily accessible to journalists and other media professionals in Nigeria.

The World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on May 3 annually to remind governments of the need for them to respect their commitment to press freedom and create a safe and conducive environment for journalism and media practice.

Source: NAN

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Ojo who spoke on Thursday at the opening ceremony of this year’s West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards, WAMECA,  convened by the MFWA holding at the Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel, Accra, Ghana.

WAMECA is a flagship project of the MFWA to promote and reward media excellence in the West African sub-region.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Social Media, Fake News and Elections in Africa.”

Ojo highlighted that as the number of internet users in many African countries have grown over the years, so had the emergence of new class of citizens.

The citizens, he noted, were increasingly interested in public policy issues and had become quite engaged and vocal in the political arena.

“They engage online, leaning heavily on social media platforms. This is causing anxieties for political leaders on the continent with the result that many of them are actively seeking ways to regulate social media and suppress an increasingly engaged citizenry,” he said.

Giving an example of such suppression, Ojo said in 2011, Africa experienced its first internet shutdown ordered by a government, when the then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, threatened by anti-government protests largely organised and sustained through social media, ordered a shutdown of the internet.

That, he said, had become a norm for many African leaders, while the weaponised practice trended throughout the continent.

Many African countries subsequently interrupt or limit access to telecommunication services such as the internet, social media and even messaging services particularly during elections.

He said in the past four years, about 22 African countries had reportedly experienced partial or total internet shutdown ordered by their governments.

“This is an issue that should clearly worry all of us,” said Ojo.

The Media Rights Agenda helmsman warned that the  suppression would gradually spread across Africa given the tendencies of African governments at copying “worst practices” and grabbing ideas from each other  on how to repress their citizens.

Such oppressive governments, he emphasized, were becoming quite lawless and emboldened.

They, according to him, would go unchallenged internationally for their negative human rights practices given the loss of global leadership from Western countries in the promotion and defence of freedom of expression.

“We must come up with countervailing measures to respond to this new reality, otherwise we are soon likely to witness democratic regression in our region or even across the continent, especially when you consider other legislative measures and administrative practices that our governments are adopting to shrink civic space in many countries,” he concluded.

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