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Mass media in Nigeria has an interesting and long history.
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Historically,Nigeria has boasted the most free and outspoken press of any African country, but also one which has consistently been the target of harassment by the past military dictatorships. Many agents of Nigeria press have been imprisoned, exiled, tortured, or murdered as a result, among them being Ogoni activist and television producerKen Saro-Wiwa, who was executed for treason by order of theSani Abacha dictatorship in 1995 (resulting in the expulsion of Nigeria from theCommonwealth of Nations and sanctions from abroad).[1]
Even under the somewhat less-oppressive current civilian government, journalists have continued to come under fire, be it from the government (as with the June 2006 arrest of Gbenga Aruleba and Rotimi Durojaiye ofAfrican Independent Television under charges of sedition) or from other popular establishments (such as the self-imposed exile of this day'sIsioma Daniel following the riots in Northern Nigeria over "sensitive comments" which she had made in an article regardingMuhammad and the 2002Miss World pageant.
Afatwa calling for her beheading was issued by themullahs of northern Nigeria, but was declared null and void by the relevant religious authorities inSaudi Arabia, and the Obasanjo faced an international public relations smearing (especially within journalistic circles) in the aftermath, which was not helped by theAmina Lawal controversy which had occurred prior to the riots, which had seen over 200 dead). However, as with most other countries,blogging has increasingly become a much safer, and much easier, conduit for Nigeria's growing Internet-enabled minority to express their dissatisfactions with the current state of affairs in Nigeria.
Brown envelope journalism in Nigeria is a practice whereby monetary inducement is given to journalists to make them write a positive story or kill a negative story.[2] The name is derived from cash inducements hidden in brown envelopes and given to journalists during press briefings. It is a common practice in Nigeria and many journalists do know that it is unethical.[3] One of the effects is that the Nigerian media has become a hotbed for sponsored stories.
Until the 1990s most publications were government-owned, but private papers such as theNigerian Tribune,The Punch,Vanguard, and theGuardian continued to expose public and private scandals.[4]Laws related to the media, including newspapers, are scattered across various pieces of legislature.There are few good sources of discussion and analysis of these laws.[5]
An analysis of newspapers shows a strong bias towards coverage of males, reflecting prevalent cultural biases. Few articles discuss women and there are few photographs of women outside the fashion sections.[6]Although earnings have declined since the late 1980s the number of publications has steadily grown.As of 2008 there were over 100 national, regional or local newspapers.[4]
While newspapers (and, most recently, blogging) have long thrived in Nigeria, radio and television has not received as much recognition, due to limited resources and press restrictions which beset the establishment of radio or television services in Nigeria. However, such limitations have since been improved in order to reach larger audiences both within and without Nigeria, such as with the growth of satellite television. TheBBC World Service as well as theVoice of America and the German broadcasting organizationDeutsche Welle (DW) also provideshortwave radio in theHausa language.
| Position | Channel | Share of total viewing (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AM Family | 10.4 |
| 2 | AIT | 6.5 |
| 3 | AM Showcase | 6.0 |
| 4 | Silverbird TV | 5.4 |
| 5 | TVC Entertainment | 5.0 |
| 6 | M-Net | 4.9 |
| 7 | Galaxy TV | 3.3 |
| 8 | AM Yoruba | 1.9 |
| 9 | WAP TV | 1.4 |
| 10 | KAFTAN TV | 1.0 |
Virtually all Nigerian newspapers have an internet presence; in addition, there are several websites which are dedicated to allowing Nigerians to air their opinions on a variety of topics.
