Description:
NIGERIAN MEDIA NEWS ALERTE - NIGERIA RSF demande au President d'assurer la protection des medias suite a une serie d'atteintes a la liberte de la presse. 2 juillet 2009- Reporters sans frontieres a adresse, le 1er juillet 2009, une lettre au chef de l'Etat nigerian, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, pour lui exprimer son extreme inquietude concernant les conditions d'exercice du metier de journaliste dans le pays. Au cours du premier semestre 2009, l'organisation a recense 42 cas d'atteinte a la liberte de la presse et a constate que dans la plupart des cas, la responsabilite de ces violations revenait a des agents de police ou des autorites locales telles que des gouverneurs de province. "Nous estimons, Monsieur le President, qu'il est de votre devoir de reagir. En tant que chef de l'Etat, garant de la Constitution et des libertes fondamentales, vous devez vous assurer que partout au Nigeria les journalistes peuvent exercer leur metier dans des conditions satisfaisantes, a l'abri des menaces, agressions physiques et autres poursuites judiciaires", a ecrit Jean-Francois Julliard, secretaire general de Reporters sans frontieres. "Votre pays jouit de la liberte de la presse, cherement acquise, mais les violences et les entraves menacent cet acquis, a poursuivi Jean-Francois Julliard. Nous vous demandons en priorite d'exiger de certains gouverneurs de province qu'ils cessent de s'acharner contre les professionnels des medias qui les derangent. Nous vous demandons egalement de prendre des sanctions systematiques a l'encontre des agents de police qui s'en prennent aux journalistes". Depuis le 1er janvier 2009, 21 journalistes ont ete agresses, huit ont ete menaces, cinq ont ete sequestres pendant plusieurs heures, et trois autres ont ete detenus entre vingt-quatre heures et une semaine. Trois medias ont ete censures et un autre a ete attaque. Une succession d'incidents graves s'est produite au cours des derniers jours du mois de juin. Le 26 juin, le codirecteur de la station Freedom Radio, Alhaji Ado Mohamed, a ete arrete par neuf policiers de l'Etat de Kano (Nord), apres la parution d'un article sur le site Internet Sahara reporters. Le journaliste faisait etat de l'implication du gouverneur de l'Etat dans l'assassinat par balles, le 13 avril 2007, de Sheikh Ja'afar Mahmoud Adam, professeur d'etudes coraniques a la mosquee Al Muntada a Dorayi. Inquiete pour avoir egalement evoque cette affaire, Mallam Tukur Mamu, editeur de l'hebdomadaire "Desert Herald", vit cache depuis le 23 juin. Ce jour-la, le journaliste a recu plusieurs messages telephoniques lui indiquant que le gouverneur lui-meme, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, "s'occuperait personnellement de lui" s'il continuait de publier des articles "nuisibles aux interets du gouvernement". Le 25 juin, a Asaba, chef-lieu de l'Etat du Delta (Sud), six journalistes ont ete roues de coups par la police de l'Etat, alors qu'ils venaient couvrir la demolition de magasins clandestins. Parmi eux, Daniel Ayemere, de la Minaj Broad casting International, a ete conduit a l'hopital dans un etat grave. Le meme jour, Kayode Adeji, journaliste pour le quotidien "Next", Segun Adeleye, du quotidien independant "Daily Independent", et Demola Oni, du quotidien "The Punch", ont ete molestes par les agents de securite du president de l'Assemblee de l'Etat d'Ogun (Sud-ouest), Tunji Egbetokun. Par ailleurs, le gouverneur de l'Etat d'Ekiti (Sud-ouest), Segun Oni, a decide le 19 juin de fermer toutes les radios et les televisions d'Etat, apres une greve de journalistes reclamant de meilleures conditions de travail.Trois journalistes syndicalistes ont ete sanctionnes. Le Nigeria se situe a la 131e place, sur 173 pays, du classement 2008 de la liberte de la presse etabli par Reporters sans frontieres. Depuis plusieurs annees, le State Security Service (SSS - le redoutable service de police de la securite d'Etat) fait partie des predateurs de la liberte de la presse denonces par l'organisation. SOURCE: Reporters Sans Frontieres __________________________________________________________________ Nigeria to meet 2012 deadline on transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, says Minister of Information and Communications APA - Lagos (Nigeria) Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, has said that Nigeria would meet the 2012 deadline for transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.Receiving the report of the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) on transition from analogue to digital broadcasting on Monday in Abuja, Akunyili said that Nigerian President Umaru Yar’adua was ready to give the project all the backing needed both politically and economically in spite of the global economic meltdown."It is important to note that television is a vital part of the country’s communications and information infrastructure. Therefore, over the next three years, the country’s national and state television broadcasting systems are expected to transit from analogue to digital broadcasting systems," she said. The minister, who did not mention what it would cost the government to achieve the objective, noted that most private media organizations had invested heavily on digital equipment. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has fixed June 17, 2015 for the switchover in the UHF band and June 11, 2020 for the VHF band, she said.Akunyili commended the committee for a good job and noted that their report would form the basis for a policy and regulatory framework for the successful implementation of the transition. "I assure you that the government will study this report without delay, so that implementation will commence soonest to meet our deadline of 2012 and even sooner," she said. In his presentation, Mr. Isaac Wakombo, chairman of the committee, reeled out some recommendations "which will drive the transition process." He said the committee recommended a new broadcast model for the industry, which "separates the functions of the content provider and signal distributor." Wakombo said the committee also called for new legislation and licensing regimes for the broadcast industry. Mr. Yomi Bolarinwa, Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) gave an update on the transition process around the world. "Just 18 days ago, the United States completed its switchover to digital broadcasting. Others have gone before; Germany and 17 other European countries have switched over on various dates. "Here in Africa, Morocco and Kenya have gone far, while South Africa is planning to transmit the World Cup 2010 matches on the digital platform," he said. Bolarinwa noted that 50 years after television was introduced in Nigeria, the country was on the threshold of a new epoch in the broadcasting industry. He said digitization presented great opportunities for highly improved television transmission and reception in Nigeria. "It is as well a harvest of freed-up spectrum to deliver new services and eventually earn revenue for the government," he said. The NBC is the implementing agency for digitization. GIK/daj/APA 2009-06-30 __________________________________________________________________ Radio station fined for airing materials capable of "inciting violence" On 27 April 2009, Nigeria's broadcast regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), fined private radio station Adaba FM 500,000 Naira (approx. US$3,350) for allegedly transmitting on 25 April "materials that were capable of inciting members of the public to violence and consequently leading to breakdown of law and order", while covering the re-run of the governorship elections in Ekiti State in the southwest. Mr. Awwalu Salihu, NBC's head of public affairs, said in a statement that Adaba FM's broadcast of 9:30 a.m. (local time) of 25 April violated sections 3.1.2 and 1.4.4 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code, adding that the commission gave the station until 8 May to pay up or "face higher sanction". The letter of sanction was reportedly handed over to the acting general manager of the station, Mr. Joseph Alake, in the afternoon of 27 April. The commission stressed its "determination to ensure that broadcasting stations play their indispensable role according to the rules of the game to ensure fairness and peace in the nation's political process." The NBC was not specific on what aspects of the station's programme breached the Broadcasting Code. As was the case on previous occasions when it sanctioned privately owned broadcasting stations, the NBC again did not follow the procedure specified in the Broadcasting Code which requires the commission to give a station an opportunity to defend itself before applying sanctions. The NBC is viewed by many as lacking in independence as it is directly under the control of the minister of information and communications as well as the president. It has been repeatedly accused of being quick to muzzle privately owned broadcast stations with little or no justification while turning a blind eye when government-owned stations violate the provisions of the Broadcasting Code, particularly during election periods. Adaba FM is a private station running on the frequency modulated wave band and is based in Akure, the Ondo State capital, in south-west Nigeria. SOURCE: Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Lagos 30 April 2009
For the thirteen years that the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has been monitoring attacks on free speech and expression in West Africa, 2009 was the most regrettable.
For the thirteen years that the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has been monitoring attacks on free speech and expression in West Africa, 2009 was the most regrettable.