The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu over the ban of 25 media outfits from Aso Rock. Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP Deputy Director, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. SERAP urged him “to publicly instruct the officials in the presidential villa to allow journalists and media houses to freely do their job and discharge their constitutional duty of holding those in power to account.”
According to reports, the Federal Government recently withdrew the accreditations of some 25 journalists from covering activities at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The banned journalists include those from the Galaxy TV; Ben TV; MITV; ITV Abuja; Prompt ; ONTV, and Liberty. It stated that media freedom is the cornerstone of Nigeria’s democracy and insisted that the ban on the media must be lifted in order to ensure accountability and maintain public interest.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 48 hours of the receipt or publication of this letter. “If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest,” it said.
Nigerians may consider the expulsion of the journalists from the presidential villa as your government’s ambivalence towards media freedom, and citizens’ rights of access to information and participation in their own government.
Imosam (
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