(A joint press release by INDY Press, AFAS Press and Sultan Bello Hall Press)

The press has the purpose to serve as a watchdog and as an enabling platform to project the voice of people. However, it is only able to truly fulfil this purpose when it is independent and free. This makes the independence of the press a non-negotiable element of a well-functioning democracy. It is World Press Freedom Day, and it is time to restate the importance of a free press in a properly functioning society.

In commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, we are emphasising our unshaken support for the tenet of press freedom here at the University of Ibadan, all other institutions in the nation, and in Nigeria at large.

Our advocacy for press freedom is not one born out of untamed exuberance or the impermanence of a fad. It is one that we have seen and discovered to be the bedrock of a properly functioning society.

The United Nations in similar fashion declared May 3 as World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of an independent press. This day serves as a reminder to governments to protect and promote freedom of the press and is also a prompt to members of the fourth estate to bring to the fore the ethics and responsibility of their duty.

World Press Freedom Day and the ideal it preaches are hinged on the provision of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which posits that everyone has the freedom of expression and opinion without interference.

The 1999 Nigerian Constitution also supports this ideal, as Section 39 grants freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. This is a pillar that applies to all levels of our society, including our university system.

The freedom of the press has a vital role to play in our university community and must not be at any point relegated if the University of Ibadan is expected to be a progressing community. It is a means for projecting the voice of the unheard, stimulating needed discussion, and spotlighting concerns that can endanger the progress of our student community. This makes the promotion of press freedom a duty that every single member of the university community must execute.

Despite the guaranteed press freedom enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Journalists continue to face various forms of attacks. People and institutions who still feel threatened by the activities of the press in society often resort to violent attacks, physical attack victimisations, censorship, repression, and even threats on journalists’ studentship and opportunities, among other forms of suppression.

The Centre for Journalistic innovation and Development Press Attacks Tracker, (CJID PAT), a technological innovation for recording press attacks for evidential insights, has so far documented over 1,200 cases of press attacks since journalist Dele Giwa’s murder in 1986, with the recent that gained attention being the arrest of Daniel Ojukwu, an FIJ reporter, who was arrested and detained in May 2024 for an investigative report he did to expose the fraudulent act of a Nigerian politician where he was accused of violating the Cybercrime Act.

The tracker also highlights the various states with high rates of press attacks. Delta state tops the chart with 292 recorded press attacks followed while Lagos still has the highest number of eight (8) journalist deaths with over 167 recorded attacks, making it an hotzone for journalists in Nigeria.

These forms of repression are not limited to mainstream journalism alone. Within the University of Ibadan, where campus Journalists have been subjected to various forms of attacks, rustications from the institution, threats to their prospective accommodation on campus and unjustified reprisals, etc.

In a bid to ensure transparency and accountability to the student populace, the Union of Campus Journalist, University of Ibadan, in January, constituted a Watchroom Team to look into the 2025 February Students’ Union candidates and spotlight any activities that could undermine the credibility of the election.

However, during the execution of their watchroom duties, campus journalists faced different attacks online and verbally, physically. Some were terribly affected for publishing unbiased reports. They were threatened with denied prospective accommodations in the Hall and some were subjected to physical assault.

On March 4, 2025, the inauguration for the newly elected executives and Students’ Representative Council (SRC) marked the transition from the Aweda-led to Odedele-led administration but not only that. In an attempt to record the forceful removal of Nice Linus, a disqualified yet elected SRC member, the security unit manhandled and detained Akanni Oluwasegun, a UCJUI news editor, while the Union of Campus Journalist University of Ibadan’s Ogunrinu Olanshile, was physically assaulted. The attack, however, sparked criticism and condemnations from different sister bodies and human rights institutions both within and beyond Oyo state.

While the aforementioned incident gained widespread attention, many other cases of press suppression have been swept under the rug due to minimal exposure.

Examples of such are the recent attacks on the departmental press organizations. One had published a review on a student leader’s unfulfilled one-page manifesto. The student, whose manifesto was reviewed, upon coming across the content of the article called his mother who in turn went to the department to intimidate the press members. It’s worthy to note that this was not done without the knowledge of the lecturers in the department. The article was eventually pulled down. Another was embroiled in a similar incident. They were accused of libel and consequently, most of the review articles related to the executive board were instructed to be taken down.

The various attacks faced by journalists in the mainstream and campus journalists spotlight the need to reinforce the ideology behind the World Press Freedom Day and the need to always respect press freedom in society.

Despite challenges faced, the Press is not without its records of spotlighting events that later led to changes. For instance, after AFAS press report about the danger of unlit roads in the university of Ibadan, the university received 40 poles of solar-powered street lights from Nigeria’s Minister of Power.

Similarly, in a recent event, the winners of the respective categories in the 2024 SEALS Cup tournament have been compensated for their victories . This came shortly after Indy Press reported on the issue of prolonged delay in compensating the winners in this tournament. In addition, the press has always been at the forefront of advocating better welfare for students across faculties. Although the basic due was later increased, the proactive spotlight given to the issue of increment by the various campus press organisations kept students informed and involved in the process, leading to some participating in the alleged altered surveys and culminating into a #1,000 increment as against the #2,000 proposed increments.

The members of the Fourth Estate are also required to perform their duties with utmost responsibility, professionalism, and ethical considerations. The boom in technology development and the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) pose both benefits and risks to enhancing freedom of expression.

AI, though a helpful tool, should not stand in place of the journalist. The reverse being the case defeats the purpose of a free press, as it predisposes to misinformation. It also indirectly limits the diversity of voices that the press should be promoting. The actuality of this situation then becomes a case of the press repressing itself.

In a democratic society, the Fourth Estate, best known as the press, ideally exists to fulfill its mandate of serving as the society’s watchdog, holding power to account. As the heartbeat of the society , it amplifies the voice of the voiceless, shedding light on issues that matter.Through solution-driven journalism, it fosters public accountability and social development, which is why it deserves an enabling environment to thrive.

In face of corruption or travesty of social justice, the press cannot be silent. Within our University community, however, the press faces suppression, both from the University management and student representatives. This suppression threatens not just freedom of expression, but the well-being of the entire study body. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, and it is sacrosanct to ensure the protection of this right.. For the press to effectively fulfill its mandate, it must operate independently, free from the influence of those in power. Without this freedom, it is vulnerable to compromise.

On this World Press Freedom Day, we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to upholding the rights of student journalists, defending the core principles of democracy.At the same time, we implore the authorities to abstain from being intolerant of dissent from the press. The student representatives must come to the light that the press is not a platform for antagonism, but a required catalyst that pushes them to fulfill their duties with integrity. For the press to carry out its mandate of promoting social justice, it needs the support of the student community.

It is on this note that the student body must be willing to engage with the press, share their concerns, and speak about the issues affecting them in their faculties and halls of residence. In case the fear of repression holds them back, they should be rest assured that the press will always protect their identity. Among all institutions, the press remains committed to making society better.

In the University of Ibadan, this commitment is embodied by the Union of Campus Journalists, University of Ibadan. To ensure the thriving of justice within our University, the Union must be given the needed support to carry out its journalistic obligation.

Signed,

Sonaike Peter

Acting Editor-in-Chief,

IndyPress Organisation.

Ogundare Oluwatayo

Editor-in-Chief, AFAS Press.

Ibraheem Fiyinfoluwa, Editor-in-Chief,

Sultan Bello Hall Press.