NIGERIANS on Tuesday reacted angrily to speculations that
the President Goodluck Jonathan administration was planning a major clampdown
on media houses considered to be “unfriendly”.
Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN, a constitutional lawyer; Mr. Yusuf
Ali, another SAN; Mr. Debo Adeniran, an activist leader of the Coalition
Against Corrupt Leaders, and others who spoke to our correspondents said the
alleged plan to clamp down on the media was symbolic of a government desperate
to hold on to power by all means.
Sagay said, “I won’t be too surprised if the government
clamps down on the media because as you can see, there is lot of desperation
coming from the government’s side; desperation and fear of losing the election
that led to postponement and a lot of very undemocratic practices that have
been going on.
“But the press should just do its work as they should under
the law. At the end of the day, there is no army in this world that can conquer
the press. The press is the most powerful organisation and its pen is a great
weapon. Ultimately, nobody, no institution can conquer the press. The press
should just do its work and be courageous.”
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