…as Katamaran, Zero Meridian, Umalokun Decks, Eagle 102.5fm organise joint radio programme to mark big day
The Nationwide Affiliation of Seadogs, popularly referred to as Pyrates Confraternity, has demanded an unconditional launch of the jailed President of the Humanist Affiliation of Nigeria, Mubarak Bala.
Pyrates Confraternity in an announcement to commemorate the 2024 World Press Freedom Day, mentioned although the big day celebrated each Could third “serves to underscore the importance of press freedom and to advocate for the rights of Journalists globally,” the organisation “constantly chooses today to champion press freedom and advocate for the unconditional launch of Mubarak Bala, a Nigerian atheist and President of the Humanist Affiliation, who has been wrongfully imprisoned for expressing his atheistic beliefs.”
Recall that on April 28, 2020, police in Kaduna arrested Bala from his dwelling due to a Fb submit he made allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad and a court docket in Kano State finally imprisoned him for exercising his freedom of perception.
He’s at the moment interesting a 24-year jail sentence handed down in April 2022 by a Kano State Excessive Courtroom, after he pleaded responsible to costs of ‘inflicting a public disturbance.’
Talking on the Mubarak Bala subject in a dialogue on the event of the 2024 World Press Freedom Day, which had the theme: “A Press for the Planet Journalism within the Face of the Environmental Disaster,” on a radio programme organised by the Katamaran Deck comprising Ijebu-Ode and Remo, Zero Meridian Deck (United Kingdom) and the Umalokun Deck (Warri) along side Eagle 102.5fm, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, the discussants additionally unanimously referred to as for the rapid launch of the Humanist Affiliation of Nigeria President from detention.
One of many discussants, Hon Wale Adedayo, who’s a seasoned journalist and former Chairman of Ijebu-East Native Authorities Space Council, famous that press freedom shouldn’t be for the advantage of media practitioners alone.
Adedayo mentioned such freedom must also be prolonged to different residents to allow them to have entry to info, a privilege that everybody have to be allowed to get pleasure from beneath democracy.
Adedayo additional argued that residents have to be adequately outfitted with the knowledge to allow to successfully maintain these they’ve elected into political and public workplaces accountable.
In keeping with the previous native authorities Chairman, “Press Freedom just isn’t for the advantage of media practitioners alone. An knowledgeable citizenry, who’ll thus make knowledgeable decisions, are important elements in any real democracy. However for residents to make knowledgeable decisions, they MUST have entry to info. With out entry to info, there isn’t any democracy. So, Press Freedom is important for everybody in a democracy.
“Residents should be capable to query and see, first hand, what these they elected or appointed to serve them are doing proper or unsuitable. It’s this monitoring course of that’s encompassed within the strategy of accessing and releasing info. It reveals that the elected and appointed officers of Authorities are doing what they have been put in workplace to do. Any secrecy about such issues just isn’t allowed.”
One other discussant, Mr Segun Olatunji, Common Editor of First Information newspaper, lamented that regardless of Nigeria’s over two-decade previous democracy, many harmless Nigerians are nonetheless languishing in jail for no simply trigger.
He mentioned many Mubarak Balas have even been forgotten in jail, stressing that this shouldn’t be so beneath a democracy.
Olatunji argued that no Nigerian needs to be unjustly denied his freedom and basic rights, significantly beneath the present political dispensation within the nation.
He subsequently appealed to President Bola Tinubu to take one other look into the ordeals of all these Nigerians unjustly incarcerated and order their rapid freedom from detention and unjust imprisonment.
Olatunji additionally condemned the unlawful arrest, harassment, torture and flagrant violation of the elemental rights of harmless residents typically perpetrated by the Nigerian navy and different safety companies within the nation.
The First Information Editor mentioned, “The close to complete absence of press freedom in Nigeria is a tragic commentary on the nation’s over twenty years of democracy. In Nigeria, freedom of the press is a mirage and it’ll stay so, as long as the navy and different safety companies, aided and inspired by their new civilian overlords, proceed to exhibit this warped perception that they’re superior to the remainder of the residents within the nation due to their uniforms and weapons, which within the first place are purchased with the taxpayers’ cash.
“The apply of journalism in our nation has turn out to be replete with instances of abduction, unlawful arrest, detention and even demise in addition to the maltreatment and crass violation of the elemental rights of journalists and different residents who cry out towards corrupt practices, illegalities and different heinous crimes being dedicated by the privileged few and people within the corridors of energy, even beneath our over twenty years previous democracy.
“There are nonetheless many harmless Nigerians who’re at the moment languishing in jail for no simply trigger. There are lots of Mubarak Balas pining away behind bars in prisons throughout the nation. They’ve even been forgotten. This shouldn’t be so. Nigeria is beneath a civil rule and nobody needs to be unjustly denied his freedom and basic human rights. I feel it’s excessive time Federal Authorities beneath President Bola Tinubu regarded into all these instances of unjust incarceration of harmless residents with a view to setting them free. He shouldn’t permit his authorities to be seen as one which subscribes to the flagrant violation of the elemental rights of hapless residents by these in positions of authority beneath this dispensation. He must drum it into the ears of the navy and different safety companies that Nigeria is not beneath the jackboots rule of navy juntas, the place impunity reigned supreme and whose pastime was the abuse and flagrant violation of individuals’s rights. Their mentality have to be re-set to be in tune with the brand new actuality of being beneath a civil rule and democracy.”
