The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has renewed its call for the Federal Government to take decisive action to further amend the Cybercrimes Act in order to safeguard the freedom of expression, democratic advancement, and civic participation.
The call aligns with growing concerns by stakeholders and foreign missions in Nigeria, who recently expressed worries over the possibilities of misuse of the Act to suppress free speech, violate citizens’ fundamental rights, and undermine the country’s democracy.
During a radio programme, Public Conscience, produced by the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development, on Wednesday in Abuja, the General Secretary of the NGE, Dr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren lamented that, despite the Nigeria Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024, signed into law on 28 February 2024, the Nigeria Police Force is still relying on some sections of the Act to arrest journalists and activists.
While stressing that the Cybercrimes Act was impeding democracy and shrinking public participation, Uwugiaren noted that Section 54 of the current Act tends to criminalise journalism, which explains why the media, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and foreign missions are expressing concern and calling for amendment.
He complained; ‘Despite the last amendment to the Cybercrimes Act, the police are still arresting people and charging them to court relying on a certain part of the Act. I think that’s where we should focus on now: for us to have a robust democracy, people should be able to express their views responsibly without any hindrance like government censorship or Acts of Parliament.
‘The Cybercrimes Act, under Section 54, tends to criminalise the journalism profession, which is why we (NGE), CSOs, and foreign missions are worried. Other laws within the constitution can take care of what the Cybercrimes Act says today.
‘As of today, over 143 countries have Cybercrime Acts. The whole idea had to do with the fraud that is taking place within cyberspace around the world. The law in some other countries deals with cyber criminals and not to gag the press or deprive people of expressing themselves.
‘On our part (NGE), we engaged security agencies, the Federal Government, and foreign missions to put pressure on the administration and to make sure that the Act is amended in line with global best practices’.
Uwugiaren cautioned that media independence remains a challenge, with several factors affecting the huge role the media is designed to play in strengthening democracy in Nigeria and lamenting that many journalists face remuneration problems and hostile working conditions.
“If we have a very strong media with enough economic capacity, and we have a free environment for them to operate, we can say that the media can do their job of strengthening democracy.
‘The question we should ask is if we have that enabling environment. If you look at the state of our economy today, virtually all sectors are affected and don’t forget the media is a player in that environment, so much so that their ability to discharge their responsibilities is gradually reducing daily.
‘Many media houses today are not able to pay salaries or empower their reporters to discharge their responsibilities effectively. So, on that note, they have to rely on handouts coming from private individuals and politicians. And as we all know, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. So when a company gives you an advert, when they start misbehaving, you will not have the moral responsibility to hold them responsible.
‘If you look at so many media houses today, they can’t function without handouts from the private sector or politicians’, Uwugiaren said.
Towing the same line, a media consultant, Anulika Maryjane Udoudo stated that democratic practice in Nigeria continues to leave much to be desired due to the lack of independence of the media while asserting that ‘a lot of journalists are not free to carry out their jobs as members of the fourth estate of the realm due to fear of the Cybercrimes Act’.
She hailed the advent of digital platforms and social media for helping to mount pressure on conventional media organisations to deliver on their expectations, adding that the media can be free of control if the government is sincere.
She further said: ‘The Cybercrimes Act is a challenge and hinders public opinion and our democracy. Journalists are, unfortunately, free to do their job without fear.
‘As a journalist, you cannot call me independent, yet you’re making laws to put me in a tight corner to compromise. That’s why I believe that no matter how unethical some of these social media platforms are still playing better roles than the regular media that should be there as our watchdog.
‘Some of these media houses are being funded by the political elite. So they have to do the bidding of their masters. The media is meant to be the fourth estate in government, but how do you get to check somebody who lords over you?
‘So, I still do not believe that the media can be totally free if the government is not sincere. It can be one out of 10,000 media platforms that are sincerely trying to uphold integrity in the media space. In a society where democracy is not being practiced accurately, it’s difficult.
‘The media is just an aspect of other institutions that are not working in Nigeria. This is because we are either not ripe for democracy, or we are just practicing our own thing, which maybe should not be called democracy. This also extends to the Judicial arm of government’.
In a joint statement to celebrate the 2025 Democracy Day in Nigeria, which held on 12 June, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard M. Mills, Jr.; the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery; the Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, Sanna Selin; the Ambassador of Norway to Nigeria, Swein Baera; and the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria Pasquale Salvaggio, called for urgent reform of the Act.
Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio programme that draws the government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria. It runs in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation.
