Following an impassioned presentation at
the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce, a former governor of Abia State,
Orji Uzor Kalu, expressed concern over the United States of America’s
Consular General Jeffery Hawkins´ recent remarks on media freedom in
Nigeria.
While hosting a luncheon at the
Frankfurt Hilton, attended by international delegates, on the role of
social equality as a pillar of stability in Africa, Kalu offered words
of insight as to the central role freedom of expression plays, not
simply in depolarising the media and fostering trust but as a tenet of
true democracy and a hallmark of any nation’s trajectory.
He said: “The fundamental freedom to
voice one’s opinion without persecution or consequence is not a luxury
to be granted but a human right in any modern society.
“I urge President Goodluck Jonathan to
heed Consular General Hawkins’ concerns as Nigeria cannot afford to
further stifle the open sharing of ideas and with it, its own political
process.”
Such criticism from international bodies does not arrive unwarranted.
Select state and non-state actors in
country and in the Nigerian Diaspora have often aimed to suppress and
distort political criticism for personal benefit. Journalists have been
targeted, arrested and disciplined for their investigations and insight,
creating a climate of distrust and moreover, allowing for the prevalent
spread of misinformation.
Freedom House notably reported that more
than 30 attacks on press liberty in the period leading up to the April
2011 presidential, legislative and gubernatorial elections occurred in
Nigeria, often leading to correspondents being detained without judicial
or legal authorisation.
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