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- Description:
- The history of journalism in Nigeria has been influenced by the two major eras of British colonial rule (1895-1960) and indigenous military governments after independence on October 1, 1960. Both forms of governments enacted press laws at various periods in Nigeria's journalism history. This study compares and contrasts the variables that shaped the laws enacted by both the British colonial and the post-independence military governments, the intended overt and covert objectives of those laws and the reactions of the indigenous people.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- Africa Media Review
- Description:
- The paper traces colonial legacies in Nigeria's press laws. Specifically, it traces the early antecedents of the Public Officers (Protection Against False Accusation) Decree No. 4 of 1984 and finds that it was modelled after earlier libel and sedition laws and the Newspaper Amendment Act, all of which criminalize free speech and opinion directed against those in authority. The study finds similarities in the motivations behind the promulgation of Decree No. 4 and those behind the earlier libel and sedition laws, i.e. fear of those in authority of criticism. Although Nigerian courts were reluctant to uphold individuals' rights of free speech and opinion shortly after independence, the study finds that later court decisions have found sections of the criminal code and sedition laws which criminalize free speech to be anachronistic and unconstitutional.
- Date Issued:
- 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- Africa Media Review