"I vow to do my utmost best to protect your rights, freedoms, and liberties as citizens of Nigeria."
Amidst what observers and critics describe as the shrinking of the civic space with the rampant harassment and detention of journalists and activists, President Bola Tinubu said his administration is committed to protecting the rights and liberties of Nigerians.
Mr Tinubu spoke in a broadcast to mark Nigeria's Democracy Day celebrated on 12 June.
He began by affirming his commitment to democracy and the constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens.
"As president of this nation, I am morally and constitutionally bound to preserve this precious form of governance," the Nigerian leader said of democracy. "I vow to do my utmost best to protect your rights, freedoms, and liberties as citizens of Nigeria."
Reflecting on Nigeria's 25-year journey of democracy, President Tinubu emphasised the importance of resolving differences through dialogue rather than force, and ensuring that leaders serve the common good rather than narrow interests.
"Democracy demands that we do not resolve differences through force and repression. We make allowance for the legitimacy of views that differ from our own," the president said.
While vowing to uphold democraric governance in the country, we warned against tendencies that might exploit current challenges to undermine democracy.
"There are those among us who will try to exploit current challenges to undermine, if not destroy, this democracy for which so much has already been given," he cautioned.
Beyond political democracy, he emphasised the need for economic democracy, aiming to build a Nigeria where no one is oppressed.
"I take on this vital task without fear or favour and I commit myself to this work until we have built a Nigeria where no man is oppressed," he said.
Tributes to journalists
President Tinubu also paid tributes to the nation's journalists and media establishments for their pivotal roles in the fight against military dictatorship, highlighting the importance of human rights and free speech.
He acknowledged the significant contributions of media outlets such as The Punch, The Guardian, National Concord, Tribune as well as The News/Tempo and TELL magazines. These institutions and their journalists faced severe repercussions, including proscription and imprisonment for defending civil liberties during the military regime.
The President recounted the struggle against the military government, where the power of the people eventually overcame dictatorship. Nigeria exited military rule in 1999, emerging as the most populous democracy in Africa and one of the largest democracies in the world. The Democracy Day transition marked a significant moment in human history.
Between vow and reality
However, despite Tinubu's assurances, his avowed commitment to upholding democratic ethos and press freedom have not been translated into reality in his one year in office.
Arbitrary arrests and detention of citizens and clampdown on journalists by the police and other security agencies were on the rise in his one year in office.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist, went missing on 1 May. His phones were switched off and his whereabouts were unknown to colleagues, family, and friends. The following day, the Foundation for International Journalism (FIJ) filed a missing person report at the police station.
Mr Ojukwu's family and FIJ later discovered that he had been "abducted" by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police. He was held incommunicado at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Lagos, then transferred to the Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) in Abuja, where he was detained for an additional five days.
Police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi said the journalist's arrest was based on a petition accusing him of violating the Cybercrimes Act, a law often used to suppress press freedom.
The petition related to a story by Mr Ojukwu, revealing how the senior special assistant to former president Muhammadu Buhari on sustainable development goals allegedly paid N147 million to a restaurant for classroom construction in Lagos.
In March, the NPF-NCCC had invited and questioned the chairperson of FIJ's Board of Trustees, Bukky Shonibare, in Abuja regarding the same story. Despite this, no other FIJ staff were invited except for Ms Shonibare.
Additionally, freelance journalist Jamil Mabai and his cameraman were detained by religious police in northern Katsina State.
Mr Mabai, on assignment for Trust TV, had been invited to the Hisbah offices to interview their spokesperson following reports that a wedding guest was shot dead while Hisbah officials enforced a ban on DJs playing music.
Upon arrival, Mr Mabai was briefly detained, his mobile phone confiscated, and he was threatened with physical harm.
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"Nigerian authorities must credibly investigate this harassment of journalist Jamil Mabai, hold those responsible to account, and ensure journalists can do their work without fear of detention," said Angela Quintal, head of the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) Africa programme.
Sharia law was introduced alongside secular law in 12 Muslim-majority northern states in 1999. Hisbah groups combat what they regard as immoral behaviours, by destroying alcohol, removing beggars from the streets, and arresting Muslims eating during Ramadan. Critics accuse the religious police of human rights abuses.
In April, Katsina State's Hisbah Commission banned DJing. Mr Mabai reported that when Hisbah's Community Watch Corps tried to shut down a wedding with a DJ on 10 May, one guest, Gambo Ibrahim, was shot dead.
Recently, ICIR journalists were also detained over an investigative story considered to be critical then chairman of the Police Services Commission, Solomon Arase. Mr Arase was removed from office earlier this week.
In one of the most ridiculous case of harassment of journalists and attempt to criminalise journalism, the police recently invited this PREMIUM TIMES reporter for a story he had yet to publish.
