HURIWA, Amnesty International Condemn FG’s Plan to Gag ARISE TV

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Foremost rights groups, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and Amnesty International (AI), yesterday, condemned attempts by the federal government through the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to gag the media, especially Nigeria’s number television station, the Arise News Television.

HURIWA specifically cautioned the NBC to avoid acting like an agency of fascism, and not to continuously act as though it was being teleguided, manipulated and mechanically remote-controlled by haters of democracy, free speech and constitutionalism, to scuttle Nigeria’s democracy. 

HURIWA also called on  National Broadcasting Commission to take cognisance of the ‘indubitably, incontrovertible and irrevocable’ fact that the  grundnorm or the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was more supreme and bigger than any public office holders.

It said the NBC that was set up by an inferior legislative template couldn’t be seen to be attempting crudely to revoke the constitutional freedoms enshrined copiously in chapter 4 of the constitution, including freedom of information.

The civil right group said claimed the Constitution in section 22 has empowered the media of mass communication to do the duty of a vanguard and conscience of the nation and monitor the behaviours of public institutions and public office holders.

It said this was to ensure rule of law, respect for constitutionalism and fundamental freedoms recognised internationally under the Universal Declarations of Human Rights (UDHR), the African Charter on people’s and human rights, the international covenant on civil and political rights and a plethora of international human rights treaties. 

HURIWA said the persistent attempt by NBC to muzzle the exercise of the  fundamental human rights of Nigerians including attempting to force broadcasting stations to start operating as if they were in the era of Musolini’s fascism of Italy of far years gone by or as if Nigeria was under the North Korean type of absolute tyranny by not featuring critics or Nigerians of divergent views different from those of the persons in government of the day, must be actively resisted by all and sundry so that democracy was not imperilled.  

The Rights group, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, accused  the NBC of working with reactionary elements to scuttle democracy and institute absolute monarchical type of governance in this 21st century Nigeria.

Nigerians, it said, should and must actively resist this negative forces, who were bent on scuttling the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms by the Nigerian citizens. 

On its party, Amnesty International, condemned NBC for issuing a ‘final warning’ to owners of Arise Television over the use of derogatory and incendiary remarks on the station.

In its reaction shared on its X account in the early hours of Saturday, October 7, 2023, Amnesty International Nigeria said the NBC action has proven that the Nigerian authorities were not prepared to be held accountable.

It urged the government to desist from what it called an attempt to silence media organisations whose roles are crucial in ensuring independent and diverse media space in the country.

The statement read: “Amnesty International condemns the ‘final warning’ issued to @ARISEtv by the FG through National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Targeting Arise TV simply for doing their work sends the wrong message that; Nigerian authorities are not prepared to be held accountable.

“Nigerian authorities must stop the unrelenting quest to silence media organizations like @ARISEtv which are crucial to ensuring independent and diverse media space in the country and fulfilling people’s right to information.

“Using regulations as a way to silence independent journalism is completely unacceptable. The media in Nigeria should be free to exercise their right to freedom of expression as protected by international law.”