The right to press freedom in Nigeria is constitutionally guaranteed under Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which upholds every person’s right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to hold opinions, receive and impart ideas and information without interference.
Despite these guarantees, the practical reality for Nigerian journalists has been dire, as underscored by the recent Openness Index Report published by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
This report presents a sobering assessment of press freedom in Nigeria, especially in Imo, Lagos, and Bauchi states, identifying Imo as the most hostile environment for the practice of journalism in the country.
According to CJID’s 2024 Subnational Openness Index, Imo State ranked dead last—37th out of all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory—with an alarming score of 40.70%.
The Index was grounded in both qualitative and quantitative research, drawing insights from more than 1,100 professionals across the media and civil society sectors.
Key diagnostic dimensions included legal protections, journalist safety, media diversity, internet freedom, civic engagement, and government transparency.
The findings indicate that, despite constitutional protections, journalists in Imo State face significant repression, intimidation, harassment, and routine obstruction from state actors, which has collectively created a chilling effect that stifles free expression and the right to inform.
Imo’s poor rating is not an isolated outcome but rather part of a broader nationwide trend. The report identifies Bauchi and Lagos as also having hostile environments for journalists.
Bauchi ranks 35th out of 37 (42.69%), plagued by similar patterns of repression and restricted access to public information.
Lagos, despite being Nigeria’s media and economic hub, fares only marginally better, ranking 22nd (48.93%), with journalists recurrently clashing with security agencies and being harassed during protests and political events.
In both Bauchi and Lagos, journalists struggle with access to information, intimidation, and a lack of institutional support—the legal frameworks in theory fail to protect journalists in practice.
The implications of such widespread restrictions in Imo and the other two states resonate beyond the profession of journalism.
A hostile climate for the media undermines democracy itself by eroding citizens’ rights to information, reducing government accountability, and weakening civic participation.
The Openness Index highlights how journalists’ ability to speak, organize, and hold power to account is foundational to democratic governance, yet remains uneven and fragile in many parts of Nigeria.
The Imo State government has vehemently rejected the CJID’s findings, dismissing them as false and biased.
The Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mr Declan Emelumba, contends that the CJID lacks the credibility, logistics, and empirical rigor to undertake such an assessment.
The state government claims that Imo is, in fact, one of the safest places for journalists and that the report’s conclusions are misinformation propagated by opposition parties for political gain.
They cite programmes, access, and awards given to journalists as evidence of a supportive environment for media practitioners.
However, these denials stand in contrast to consistent accounts from journalists and independent media monitoring organizations.
Accusations of repression, intimidation, denial of access to information, and harassment by state actors, especially the security forces, have been documented over the past year.
Coalition groups such as the Nigeria Union of Journalists and international press freedom advocates have continued to raise concerns about the increasing dangers faced by reporters, particularly in environments where governments are intolerant of scrutiny or dissent.
At the heart of the press freedom crisis in Nigeria, and particularly in Imo, lies a struggle between constitutional ideals and practical realities.
While laws claim to protect free expression, enforcement often serves to silence critical voices.
High-profile cases, such as arbitrary detention, legal harassment under laws like the
Cybercrimes Act, and physical attacks on journalists, underscore a disturbing pattern: freedom of the press often exists only on paper in these states.
Until systemic changes occur, including stronger safeguards for journalist safety, transparent legal processes, and political will to respect openness, Nigeria’s democratic potential will remain seriously compromised by its fragile and uneven press freedom environment.