THE INTERCONNECTED OF PRESS FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY. THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE

Abstract

This work is aimed at highlighting the interconnectedness of press freedom and democracy in Nigeria, using President Obasanjo’s administration as a case study. The recognition of the press as the watchdog of the society connotes the capacity of the press to monitor governmental activities. However, in Nigeria, the authority control the press in manners that negates the principle of press freedom. Data was collected through the simple random sampling technique and analysed using the Yaro Yamini formula and the scientific chi-square methodology. The results reveals that, there is a positive link between press freedom, democracy, and development. The work therefore recommends that the government should advance the cause of press freedom, by granting the press a free hand to its duty, and that there should be continuous intensive training and retraining for journalists to make them more professionally competent and globally competitive. The work also recommends that those in authority, should be tolerant of the press, and that the press should observe the ethics of its profession.