ASUU says FG clampdown on media insensitive

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has described the clampdown on the media by the Federal Government and its security agents as insensitive, offensive and a “symptom of incivility and savagery.”

Government’s security agents recently impounded newspaper distribution vans and hindered the circulation of newspapers in some states across the country, hinging the action on the need to firm up security.

While condemning the act in its totality, chairman of the union in the University of Ibadan, Prof. Segun Ajiboye, urged the government to separate the media rights from political game ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Ajiboye said, “ASUU wishes to express its concern to the general public about the ugly incidents rearing their heads in the Nigerian democratic experiment. It should be noted that the mass media is a very important and indispensable organ of the society, charged with the responsibility to inform, educate and entertain the public.

“This is why it is regarded as the Fourth Estate of the Realm and an essential service. Its importance to the society has accorded it the security and freedom it enjoys even while reporting as the war front.

“Consequently, an act of repression or clampdown on the press is offensive to the sensibilities of the entire members of the society. It is also an indicative and symptomatic of incivility and savagery.”

The ASUU UI also condemned the government’s claim that the cardinal role of the press to inform and educate the public should not be at the expense of national interest. Ajiboye said such comment was “hazy, bogus and vague.”

“It should not be an exclusive preserve of government or its agents to determine what constitutes a challenge to national interest, unity and cohesion. This posture is an index of arrogance and is totally undemocratic and therefore unacceptable. The union will discuss this further and appropriate action will be taken to defend the media if the government continues this campaign of destruction of democratic legacy,” he said.

Tweet