As far as press freedom goes, the current administration has proven it is just as closeminded as its predecessors. Most recently, it has turned its attention to digital media, as evidenced by several cases of bloggers being arrested by state governments and the DSS for ‘treason’. This and several other violations of press freedom has put the presidency in the cross hairs of foremost Digital media rights group Paradigm Initiative.

The group in a statement on Wednesday 7th November 2017, condemned federal government’s secret attempts at blocking the domain of some online newspapers operating in the country. The group was reacting to a publication by Nigerian Tribune Newspapers which alleged that the federal government is currently carrying out such operation through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), ostensibly hiding behind Section 146 of the NCC Act 2003.

The section which According to Paradigm Initiative’s Program Manager Magoyi (ICT Policy), Adeboye Adegoke contravenes Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which expressly provides that every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.

Also, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides similarly that everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice

As if giving credence to this story, some journalists working with some online newspapers were barred from covering the 2018 Budget Presentation by President Buhari yesterday November 7, 2017 at the National Assembly as they were prevented by the Department of State Services which came with another list of purportedly approved journalists for the budget presentation. A decision greeted with protest by the affected journalists.

This secret monitoring of online newspaper domains is one of the many attempts at weakening the press in the country. This was earlier done by the Government through the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) which released a new draconian broadcasting code which has seen to the closure of some radio stations in the North for not screening the telephone calls of their callers during a phone-in programme.

The proposed monitoring of online newspapers domain by the NCC and the office of the National Security Adviser will amount to an infringement of the constitutionally granted freedom of speech.