Media Rights Agenda (MRA)

Speakers at the African Media Stakeholders Virtual Conference marking International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2020 touched on various aspects of the right to access information in law and in practice.

Media Rights Agenda has welcomed the UNHRC resolution on the safety of journalists and is asking the government to give full effect to its provisions.

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) temporarily detained journalist and publisher Tega Oghenedoro and asked him to reveal the source for a story on the governor allegedly being robbed.

“We are motivated to take this step by our conviction that if we in Nigeria are to overcome the current and future challenges, the ability of journalists to be able to continue their professional and constitutionally mandated role of gathering, processing and disseminating information to the public should not be hindered.”

MRA is suing the National Assembly over the passage of the Prohibition of Hate Speeches Bill 2019, arguing that its passage violates the fundamental right to freedom of expression and the press and goes against constitutional guarantees.

Media Rights Agenda have requested police investigate the raid and attack on the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, or get taken to court.

As assaults on journalists increase in Nigeria, media freedom advocacy organisation Media Rights Agenda is calling on the government to ensure the security sector guarantee the fundamental rights of the media.

Media Rights Agenda uses the World Radio Day platform to call on the Nigerian government to capitalise on the effective use of radio to ease religious and ethnic differences.