Despite an admirable history of aggressive journalism, freedom of the media is far from secure in Nigeria. The Punch, a popular Nigerian news source, cited recent incidents of violence against journalists as well as international reports from Global Integrity and Freedom House as indicators of the nation’s downward trend in media independence.

As reported in the Global Integrity Report: Nigeria, a Freedom of Information Act has been sitting in the legislature for 10 years! This limits the scope of reporting by allowing politicians to hoard and hide information from the public. Nigerian journalists now fear that further constraints will be placed on their work as the global economic downturn dries up sources of independent financial backing. With the Nigerian government emerging as one of the few viable media funders and the high likelihood that FOI bill remains stagnant, political control of information in Nigeria could become increasingly tight in the coming years.

— Norah Mallaney