Some legal experts on Monday, underscored the need for the enactment of a legislation aimed at protecting media rights in Nigeria.
The experts spoke under the aegis of the Advocats Sans Frontiéres (ASF) France, at a two-day training for journalists in Lagos, tagged: “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation” (SLAPP).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ASF, an e-rights initiative, is established to safeguard the rights of journalists.
It is positioned to entrench the freedom of speech in Nigeria, while calling for collaboration from relevant stakeholders, to guide against victimisation..
The training is aimed at helping journalists and media practitioners to understand, identify, and effectively respond to SLAPP cases, which are intended to intimidate or silence critical reportage and public interest journalism.
In her opening remarks, Country Director of ASF, Mrs Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, said that the programme was part of ASF’s effort to promote press freedom in Nigeria, under the EU-funded e-Rights project.
She described journalists as being endangered species, who are often confronted with civil suits like defamation, libel, false news, among others.
According to her, these factors are primarily aimed at silencing and intimidating journalists to refrain from interrogating real issues that could expose ills.
She added that the end result is to ensure that criticisms which offends some individuals, does not see the light of day.
“It directly affects press freedom and silences the voices of journalists.
“So for us, we cannot tolerate a scenario where we are having the legal system being manipulated to target and intimidate journalists because of the importance of journalism and the press in a democracy,” she said.
She said that the training is to help participants understand the lawsuits and most importantly, what to do when faced with such litigations.
She joined other speakers at the event to harp on the need for collaboration and networking, towards ensuring that no journalist suffers alone.
Chairman of the Lagos Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Adeleye Ajayi, represented by the Assistant Secretary, Mr Laide Awosanya, lauded the initiative
“As practitioners committed to informing the public and holding people accountable, we must be equipped not only with journalistic skills but also with the knowledge to recognise when the law is being weaponised to stifle public interest journalism,” he said.
Ajayi described the training as being timely to address the plight of journalists in carrying out their legitimate constitutional duties, as fourth estate of the realm.
He commended ASF France for its unwavering commitment to the promotion of press freedom in Nigeria.
On his part, Chairman, of the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Adeniyi Quadri, explained that activists, journalists, lawyers, and human rights advocates all tend to get into trouble when they hold critical opinion.
He said that litigations were used to gag the media, such as where criminal defamation is instituted against journalists, forcing them to take down online media reports.
“We have seen instances where injunctions have been gotten against journalists and activists.
“So, that is what we are here to talk about and to also propose that Nigeria needs anti-slapp legislation that will prevent all these abnormalities,” he said .
Meanwhile, resource persons at the training explained these infractions, and how to identify SLAPP.
Dr. Abiodun Odusote and Dr Folashade Adegbite, both Associate Professors in the faculty of law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), also decried the spate of harassment of journalists in society..
They both spoke on the need for journalists to carry out due diligence in their reportage, by taking notes copiously, saving audio/visual files, screen grabbing electronic materials as well as documents that could be relied on in cases of trouble.
Besides, they urged journalists to desist from walking alone but cooperate with colleagues to ensure that they speak with one voice in times of intimidation.
NAN reports that the event had in attendance members of the NUJ from both the Lagos and Imo state councils, as well as journalists from various media houses.
