According to a Vanguard newspaper report on Monday, “Nigeria’s former military dictator and current President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari may have just started a revenge mission on the African Independent Television, AIT when, Monday, the security men attached to him barred the station’s correspondent, Bebei from covering Buhari’s functions.”
“The directive was given to the correspondent by an official at the Defence House where the crew had gone to cover the visit of Cuban ambassador to Buhari. The Defence House is a residential facility owned by the Nigerian government”, The Vanguard reported on Monday.
Nigerians from all walks of life have been reacting to the move which many say appears to be Buhari’s first move against press freedom in Nigeria and a sign of how intolerant his government will be towards critics of his administration. Buhari, it will be recalled clamped down on the media and jailed journalists under his infamous Decree 4 while he was Nigeria’s military Head of State between 1984 and 1985.
Buhari in an interview with BBC HardTalk in 2004 is seen defending the need to proscribe free press if their reporting would amount to embarrassing public officials.
Nigerians across the social media have been condemning what many citizens have described as a brazenly undemocratic move.
I know una get beef with dem, but una hve to show maturity 4 dis matter o, freedom of press dey o: http://t.co/v6DFS8Ta9q
— Seun Anikulapo Kuti (@RealSeunKuti) April 28, 2015
https://twitter.com/PUREHAIRE/status/592932437665132544
Dear General Buhari, you're no longer a private citizen. "Banning" a media company from covering you is NBC's job, not yours. Please note.
— Chxta (@Chxta) April 27, 2015
Oh one more thing: this "private citizen" was receiving a foreign diplomat in a state building, at an official event when they "barred" AIT.
— Chxta (@Chxta) April 28, 2015
Whatever allegations may be against @AIT_Online, it sets wrong tone for President-Elect #GMB to resort to self-help or #DIY exclusions
— RightsAfrica (@chairmanNHRC) April 28, 2015
Not certain that any excuse can suffice for this| President-elect, Buhari bars AIT from covering his activities: http://t.co/y7WaRqJeRU
— Chief Ofu Ji (@blossomozurumba) April 27, 2015
Fox has been very horrible to Obama. He has never barred them from covering him. So Buhari barring AIT is unjustifiable.
— Tunde Leye (@tundeleye) April 27, 2015
Anyone who has read Buhari's history knows he has totalitarian instincts. The first signs are not encouraging.
We will wait and see.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) April 28, 2015
On Monday, April 27, 2015, Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari became the world's first ever President-Elect to ban a media house from covering him.
— Oche Daniel (@LordPuzo) April 27, 2015
Tinubu went to court against AIT. That is the right thing to do.
Buhari barred AIT. That is the wrong thing to do.
— Tunde Leye (@tundeleye) April 27, 2015
And a chilling prophesy,
Are you minding them? At some point Buhari will grab APC minions and throw them in jail for looking for contracts. https://t.co/9BEDQndbiS
— Chloe W. Bassey (@ChloeWBassey) April 28, 2015
Meanwhile, in a hasty move of damage control on Tuesday, Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) party issued a statement to reverse the ban.
READ: All ‘Accredited’ Media Houses Are Free To Cover General Buhari – APC
