Nigeria ranks 120th on global press freedom

– Cape Verde leads in Africa at number 25

Nigeria has been ranked 120th in the 2019 global report on countries with the highest level of Press Freedom by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) on the list of 180 countries.

Cape Verde, however, tops the list of African countries as it clinched the 25th position.

The RWB report said Cape Verde has historically been among the freest media environments in both Africa and the broader Lusophone world, and it maintained this status in 2014.

According to the press freedom advocacy organisation, Nigeria has over 100 independent newspapers, and yet issues arise when journalists report on politics, terrorism or financial embezzlement by the powerful.

“Journalists are often threatened, subjected to physical violence or denied access to information by government officials, police and sometimes the public itself,” the report read.

Cape Verde, on the other hand, is said to not have any record of attacks on journalists and also has press freedom enshrined in its constitution.

A member of Cape Verdian Parliament, Carlos Delgado, said its citizens also have freedom of expression without hindrance.

“At this level, there are no concerns linked to any blockage of people’s exercise of freedom of expression. There are no reports of violation this great constitutional right in its various forms of expression and no direct censorship of any kind,” he said.

Delgado added that Cape Verde is increasingly making progress in world press freedom ranking as the 2019 RWB report indicated.

“The government in Cape Verde respects press freedom and generally does not restrict access to or content on the media that it controls. Intimidation of journalists in Cape Verde is rare and no attacks on media workers have been reported,” Delgado said.