State House Correspondent, Olalekan Adetayo, from the Presidential
Villa, Abuja, describing it as “sign of what is to come from a
dictatorial government that desires that the media must only tell
Nigerians what it wants them to hear and nothing more.”
The governor, who noted that he warned Nigerians of the emerging
dictatorship of the President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives
Congress (APC) government, said; “Even though the Punch Correspondent
was recalled yesterday, owing to public outcry, the dangerous message
of intolerance to freedom of expression and of the press was passed
loud and clear.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it
should worry all lovers of democracy and free press that a journalist,
who was only doing his job was subjected to humiliating treatment of
writing statement by the Chief Security Officer to the President,
Bashir Abubakar, before he was escorted out of the Presidential Villa
like a common criminal.
He said; “When they invaded the Akwa Ibom State Government House with
armed men of the Department of State Security (DSS), I raised alarm
then and I did warn that Nigeria was being returned to 1984 when
President Buhari ruled the country like a maximum ruler.
“When I said Nigerians irrespective of their political parties should
rise in condemnation of the President Buhari’s government emerging
dictatorship, many of our friends in the media opted to keep silent.
Some even hailed the Department of State Security (DSS) when the
service invaded the Ekiti State House of Assembly and abducted a
member of the House.”
“I warned then that no one will be spared by the time this Buhari’s
emerging dictatorship reached its peak. I did say then that by the
time they are through with politicians, they will move to the
judiciary and then to the media.
“Now the tyranny has gotten to the media and it will only take fervent
prayers from men of the media profession for the country not to
descend to that era of closure of media houses, arrest and indefinite
detention of journalists.”
The governor, who urged journalists in the country to rise in one
voice and protect the democratic rights of freedom of expression,
said; “As at today, no one knows how many Nigerians are languishing in
detention in APC controlled states for freely expressing their
opinions and the media must not close its eyes to this infringement on
the rights of Nigerians to freedom of information.”