Press Redaction on the Turfs of Youhigh
Getting into a physical altercation, two factors can flip the scales in your favor: a brute kind of strength and sheer numbers. It's a David vs. Goliath tangle, it's either you're a giant like Burna Boy or you have a gang like Davido's 30BG. With these, Victoria ascerta. On the contrary, discretion is the better part of valor, you'd be wise enough not to tangle with someone three times your size; as omo-ogbon, you'd take a step back, let the situation cool and hope that the Almighty shows his might. This is the story of Journalism in Youhigh; a quagmire with no end in sight.
The absence of a government creates a wide divide between a people and a society. In other words, a society without a government is incomplete. Off this same hymnal book is a society without a free press, a morally bankrupt, backward and endangered society. The songs of a free press in these corridors have been consistently sung into a muted mic and its sermon buried in the grave of censorship. At the crux of a working society is holding power accountable, demanding transparency in the use of power from those who wield it. A society that knows and acts. But, what happens when the watchdogs are muzzled by the heavy hands of redaction and intimidation? The society falls into a state of abysmal dysfunction; occasionally roused with a flicker of hope that it might one day break free and find freedom again.
On March 7, 2025, the inauguration of the new UI'SU executive team was nipped by a dramatic incident. A female student was forcibly removed from the hall. This led to a verbal exchange between the student and security personnels. Amid this, campus journalists attempted to capture the drama on camera, only to be assaulted by security personnel and ejected from the premises. This brazen attack on press freedom is just one of many incidents that have threatened press activities on campus. Over the years, local press organizations have been disbanded while some have been dragged to the verge of a student disciplinary action. All because they dared to speak truth to power. Some, coerced into submission, others, forced to sulk up to protect their studentship.
By and large, the power dynamics have remained unchanged. The press shudders at the voice of authorities and takes refuge in silence till the ramble dies down. It is only a matter of time that the press shudders permanently into the shadows and forever remains gagged if the act of suppression persists.
The most insidious part of this problem is that pressmen will resort to self-censorship, biting their tongues to avoid repercussions, and risking losing their edge as watchdogs of the society. Self-censorship becomes the norm, and the press itself becomes trapped in the very thicket of silence and complicity it seeks to expose and break in the society. Authorities across the nation have sought to put a leash on the watchdogs of the society. Despite the constitutional safeguards for press freedom, the reality on the ground is rudely different. It is lamentable to see the press still bound, unable to operate freely. We would recall the arrest of Fisayo Soyombo, a popular journalist, some months back. His crime? He used his pen to shed light on topical issues. This does not come as a surprise, given Nigeria's systemic failures that transmit a culture of impunity and anomalies. Like cancer, the problems spread, corrupts institutions and stalls progress.
Sometimes, it gets a little more painful that the student-community fails to see the essence of the press and what it does. The press has been battered by criticism, slapped with labels that range from "witch hunters" to "woe-mongers. The press is not averse to labels, so long it chases after social justice and accountability. However, tagging the press as only a group of people, prowling and waiting for the next bad news is an indication of the deep seated ignorance ravaging the student community. The removal of pressmen from the Zik Hall group chat by the hall chairperson, following an L in the last UI'SU election is an example of student leaders' ignorance about press freedom and the role of journalists in holding them accountable. If society was utopian, perhaps the press would be redundant. However, in our imperfect reality, many people prefer the tickle of feel-good stories and they lose sight of the real issues.
Consequent to these encroachments on the freedom of the press came floodgates of apologies, from the school security unit and from the Hall Chairperson of Zik hall. While an apology indicates remorse, they're not a sufficient proof of repentance backed up by actions to uphold the tenets of journalism. Campus journalists should be met with a positive reception and an acknowledgement of its roles as the fourth estate. Everyone who identifies with the society, either as a student or citizen of Nigeria must be armed with sufficient knowledge on the importance of press freedom in any society. For growth and progress, an informed populace can demand accountability.
This is another World Press Freedom Day, we're reminded that the ideal of a society with a truly free and independent press is still an unfulfilled aspiration. It is easy to go on and on about the ills of the society and the challenges faced by the Press but this editorial is not a rant-arena. It acknowledges that achieving freedom of press in any society is birthed from deliberate efforts advanced by everyone in the society and the government. Importantly, students should empower the press to serve as a watchdog over the society and call out inconsistencies in administration.
Today, we face the reality of a bound press, forging ahead towards unbinding it. Hopefully, tomorrow, the narrative changes and we can truly say that the press is free. Free from intimidation, redaction, censorship and oppression.
Happy World Press Freedom Day!
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