Media experts have decried the absence of a legal framework safeguarding journalists in Nigeria, warning that the lack of statutory protection, combined with the rise of misinformation and unregulated digital content, poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking at the NUJ FCT 2025 Capacity Building Programme for Information and Media Officers in Keffi, the former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, said the proliferation of digital tools had empowered non-professionals to dominate the information space, often with damaging consequences.
He noted that social media influencers, content creators and citizen journalists published unchecked materials that fuel what he described as the “fifth law of misinformation,” causing chaos and undermining public trust.
Isiguzo lamented that, unlike countries such as Ghana, Malawi, and the United States, which constitutionally safeguard media freedoms, Nigeria still operates without a dedicated law protecting journalists.
He said: “The tools we have now are available to young people, and they can do anything with them. Professionals must invade the social media space to displace those who have free movement. Whatever you publish must carry the fundamentals so readers can see professionalism.
“There is no piece of legislation that protects the practice of journalism in Nigeria. If the oxygen of democracy is plugged out, what it begins to inhale becomes toxic to governance.”
According to him, journalists shoulder the burden of ensuring accountability, but they continue to work under the fear of harassment, arrest, intimidation, or incarceration.
In her keynote address, the Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, Grace Ike, described the capacity-building programme as a strategic step toward strengthening professionalism across Nigeria’s communication sector.
She said the theme, “Enhancing Image Making, Public Relations, Social Media Management and Media Visibility in the Public Sector” was timely amid a fast-paced information ecosystem where perception often outpaces reality.
“We live in an age where a single headline, tweet or video clip can redefine the reputation of an institution,” she said, stressing that information officers must now combine strategy, crisis management, digital engagement and content creation to safeguard institutional credibility.
“To excel in this new era, training is no longer optional; it is foundational,” she stated.
The Head of Corporate Communications at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nnenna Ukoha, said the training was designed to enhance staff professionalism and strengthen public communication.
Represented by Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Tunde Akpeji, she noted that the Commission considered its personnel its greatest asset and must invest in their skills to effectively communicate the industry’s efforts to protect national information infrastructure.
