REVEALED: How Buhari Vowed To Stop Press Freedom 37 Years Ago, How He Is Using Lai Mohammed To Fulfill His Anti-Press Agenda

A veteran journalist, Ray Ekpu has expose Buhari’s anti press agenda, which started 37 years ago. In an exclusive interview with Punch, the former editor of News watch said, despite the government clamp down on Journalists in the country, the media will not give up.

In his words; “What is happening is not strange because President Buhari is not a democrat even though he claims that he is a born-again democrat. I was one of three persons – the others were Dele Giwa and Yakubu Mohammed – who interviewed Major General Muhammadu Buhari on February 6, 1984, and we were shocked when the man said, I will tamper with press freedom. I will tamper with press freedom”

“When we came out of the interview from Dodan Barracks, Dele Giwa said, ‘We are all in trouble. I said, Yes, we are all in trouble with this man. And he (Buhari) has not changed. He has not changed. He now has a Minister of Information (and Culture, Lai Mohammed), who is vigorously anti-press; he wants Nigeria to be like China.”

“It was Buhari’s decree. He is now bringing it back in a democratic form using people like Lai Mohammed who has been talking about China – In China you can’t use your phone, in China, you can’t do this and that’ but are we in China? We were in China before, for many years during different military governments but that is no longer the case.”

“After Decree 4 came out, the first casualties were Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson, they were working with The Guardian and they were jailed for one year. They wrote a story on the appointments of ambassadors. It wasn’t even a false story but Decree 4; a very mischievous and obnoxious law, says that if you publish anything that affects the reputation of the government or government officials, you will go to jail. That is to say that Decree 4 was out to punish the truth. I have never heard of that anywhere in the world. That was how mischievous and obnoxious Decree 4 was and those behind it”

READ ALSO:  Four Dead, Others Injured As Angry Soldier Showered Bullets on Colleagues in Borno

“They jailed Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson and the whole media was aghast. About two weeks to the end of their tenure in jail, we said we would give them a hero’s welcome because they are heroes of press freedom but about 10 days before the official date, they released them to avoid the hero’s welcome that we wanted to give the two men. Nobody was detained or sentenced to court after that. We destroyed Decree 4 and did everything we needed to do to show that Decree 4 was dead. So many people committed offences that Decree 4 should have jailed them but the government could not do anything. That tells you the nature of our fight against an obnoxious law.”

Source: Punch

Let Zebra News help your business/brand reach a wider audience. Advertise with us today! Contact Our Marketing Team; Tel: 08062622328, 07083662767. Email: zebranewsng@gmail.com