…calls for urgent intervention from international community, democratic institutions
Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has raised the alarm over shrinking civic/democratic space and increasing threat to a free press in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Thursday ahead of it’s public presentation of the 2024 Journalism and Civil Space Status Report, the centre said the civic space in Nigeria was “shrinking and increasingly violent.”
The statement, which was titled, “A nation’s voice at the crossroads: An urgent call to defend Nigeria’s civic space and journalism,” was signed by Motunrayo Alaka, the Centre’s Executive Director and chief executive officer.
It said, “Core freedoms like expression, assembly and participation are under threat,” and called on all arms of government, institutional civil society and international partners to act with urgency to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy and journalism.
The centre drew its conclusions from the monitoring of news reports and civic space infractions during key political events like the 2022 general and off cycle elections.
It said Lagos State topped states with the infractions, followed by Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory.
The findings, it said built on an earlier research published in 2022 – Hushed Voices and the Media’s Defence of the Civic Space. “(It) points to a chilling trend – Nigeria’s cici space is becoming increasingly hushed,” the report said.
