The Presidency has said that President Goodluck Jonathan was not involved in the seizure of newspapers by the military.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who stated this at a press briefing in Abuja on Saturday, said the President was not part of the plan to seize newspapers.
Okupe said the government of President Jonathan said there was no way President Jonathan would either engage in or encourage any acts that could constitute an assault on any media organisation or infringe on the freedom of the press.
Okupe said that the action of the military was not targeted at newspaper distribution vans because of the contents of the affected publications.
He said, “The news publications suggested that President Goodluck Jonathan might have ordered that the media be suppressed and prevented from carrying out their constitutionally guaranteed responsibilities of holding government accountable to the people.
“The military has explained that the checks followed intelligence reports on the possibility of some elements within the society using such vehicles to convey materials with grave security implications across the country.”
The presidential spokesman insisted that the action of the military was not aimed at any newspaper in particular, but added that the security of the nation was paramount.
“You cannot neglect security threats because we are living in trying times,” adding that the clampdown would be a temporary measure and appealed to the media houses and affected stakeholders to view the action in the light of the security challenges confronting the nation.
He said, “If the security of the country is at stake, some segments may have to undergo some discomfort. This is what we have to face because our country is under siege.”
Okupe however, could not say when the ongoing military clampdown on the media would stop, saying that the exercise would be relaxed as soon there is “significant reduction in the level of security alert.”
He stressed that assurances received from the military authorities were that personal liberties of media practitioners or those of their employees would not be unlawfully tampered with in the course of the exercise.
“We live in very trying times which may necessitate that some section or sectors of the society might experience some temporary discomfort in the overall interest of ensuring that the ideals of freedom , peace and security which we all hold dear will not be compromised by a few unscrupulous elements in our midst.
“The media, as the fourth estate of the realm is held in very high regards by the President and this has been practically demonstrated in various ways by this administration in the last three years.
“Recall that it was President Goodluck Jonathan who signed the very contentious Freedom of Information Bill into law immediately on assumption of office and has consistently espoused the principles of openness , accountability and liberalism in its relationship with the media at all times.
“While we sympathise with media houses which might have suffered one discomfort or the other as a result of these security checks, we assert, for the avoidance of doubt, that the President has not and will never give any order capable of hampering the smooth running of any media organisation or harass media practitioners in the lawful performance of their duties.
“This government will neither engage in nor encourage any acts that will constitute an assault on any media organisation or infringe on the freedom of the press.”
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