UNDER THE JACKBOOT: THE NIGERIAN TRIBUNE AND HUMAN RIGHTS AGITATION, 1984–1998

Abstract

Beyond its fundamental role of information, education and entertainment, the Nigerian press since the colonial period has always been the vanguard of human rights. That the press functions as the watchdog of human rights is generally acknowledged, there has been little research given to this. Its role as the guardian of human rights and the voice of the voiceless strained its relations with Nigerian military dictators, also led to the suffocation of its breathing space. Despite numerous measures calculated to muzzle the press in Nigeria by the military dictators, Nigerian press has always remained committed. This paper studies the history of the Nigerian press and its role in human rights agitation by focusing on the oldest surviving private newspaper, The Nigerian Tribune under three military regimes between 1984 and 1998.