Clampdown on Freedom of Information: Buhari begin to stifle the Media begining with AIT

Clampdown on Freedom of Information: Buhari begin to stifle the Media begining with AIT

Alas! The leopard never changes its spots!! Nigeria's President-elect, General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd.), has began to stifle opposing media. This is the beginning of the expected crackdown on Freedom of Information, which Buhari is specially known for.

Buhari has ostentatiously started a revenge mission on the country's largest private television network, Africa Independent Television (AIT). Yesterday, the security men attached to him barred the station’s correspondent, Tinabeso Bebei, from covering Buhari’s functions.

A Vanguard report said that the directive was discreetly given to the correspondent by an official at the Defence House, Abuja, where the crew had gone to cover the visit of Cuban ambassador to Buhari.

It was learnt that Buhari’s family had raised security issues which prompted the ban.

Confirming the issue, Buhari’s media aide, Mallam Garba Shehu, said that such warning was given and may be revoked when some security and ethical issues were resolved with the station.

He said: “AIT has been asked to stay aside based on security and family concerns. In addition, Buhari has decided that they will have to resolve some issues relating to issues of standard and ethics.

“We will be talking with them to try and resolve the matter, but for now the station has been asked to stay aside, because like I said there are some family and security concerns. They have been asked to step down their coverage until we resolve the matter with them on ethics and standards.”

When asked whether he should be quoted, Shehu said, “Yes, you can quote me that I said we have asked them to step aside and that we are resolving the issues of ethics and standards with them.”

He, however, stated that the government-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was not involved in the ban, saying the crew was at liberty to attend any official engagements of the President-elect.

AIT ran several anti Buhari documentaries, which exposed all the atrocities committed by his military regime in the early 1980s. It is therefore believed that Buhari’s ban of AIT was as a result of this - vendatta.

Buhari has a record of cracking down on the media, even jailing journalists during his days as military Head of State from 1984 to 1985. Obviously, history is about to repeat itself.