Former VP of Nigeria, and Presidential aspirant Atiku Abubakar has faulted the Federal Government and its agency for censoring and gagging one of the media outfits in the nation, Peoples Gazette.
The website of the media outfit’s website was said to have been hit by a coordinated disruption of service across all telecommunication networks in Nigeria, at about 7pm on Tuesday 26th January, and since then, its readers have lost access to the page.
Taking to Twitter to react, Atiku said, “I have received with concern, reports of technical censorship of @GazetteNGR, an independent online newspaper, ostensibly by agents of the Federal Government of Nigeria. This is not acceptable. Press freedom is not only a constitutionally guaranteed right but an integral component of democracy. The battle for the democracy that Nigeria enjoys today was fought and won with the Nigerian media standing in the frontline against anti-democratic forces.” Read also: Sunday Igboho: Exhibit Professionalism And Observe Required Caution – NBC Warns Media
“Sadly today, it seems as though our victory 22 years ago was half-won as there still exists oppressive tendencies of the past. As a Democrat and believer in press freedom, I denounce every attempt to gag the media in Nigeria. I do so because I know that our democracy is benchmarked on the principle of a republican government and that the people of Nigeria deserve to have access to information about the workings of the government“, he added.
Atiku Faults FG For Censoring Peoples Gazette, Media
