Date Published: 07/20/10

Jonathan orders names of Online Journalists removed from watch list

Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the removal of names of online Journalists from a watch list circulated to all major airports in Nigeria by the State Security Services, SSS.

The late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had in a desperate attempt to suppress and gag online Journalists operating News websites critical of Government, directed the SSS through its Director General, Afakriye Gadzama, to place the operators of the websites on a watch list and arrest them anytime they are sighted in Nigeria.

The Yar’Adua Government which had budgeted $5 Million to tackle online media organizations had tagged online journalists as “enemy of the state.”

The list which was cited by a source within the security network of the include the names of Jackson Ude, Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of Pointblanknews.com, Sowore Omoyele, Publisher of Saharareporters.com, Okey Ndibe, a die-hard critic and columnist, Churchill Umoren, Editor, Pointblanknews.com, Oladimeji Abitogun, former Managing Editor, Pointblanknews.com, Jonathan Elendu of Elendu Reports, Emeke Asiwe, Publisher of Huhuonline and Sunny Ofili, Publisher, Times of Nigeria.

Jonathan Elendu of Elendureports.com and Emeke Asiwe of Huhuonline.com were arrested by the Yar’Adua Government and later released by the Nigerian authority after spending almost three months in detention while on a visit to Nigeria from the United States.

However, a source within the Jonathan Government told Pointblanknews.com that the directive was issued sometimes in May 2010 in line with the resolve of the new government to allow for freedom of speech and citizens rights.

According to the source, “you know the President is a firm believer of freedom of speech and he believes that what you guys are doing is helping to build the country and that is a major part of his resolve, to build the country and place it back where it rightly belong.

However, the source further added that although while the president’s decision is aimed at fostering a healthy environment for online media, “the president would not want to see a situation whereby his love for the media is abused by some who might want to use the online media as a tool for blackmail. He would support anything written so long as it is factual and does not expose the security of the country,” the source said.