Editorial
No To Crimes Against Journalists
The observance of the United Nations International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, once again drew global attention to the urgent need to reappraise the level of society’s commitment to security and safety of journalists and indeed the media. Reports indicate that in the past decade, over 700 journalists were killed worldwide, merely for performing their social and professional responsibility. The trend is worse, in years like 2012 and 2013 which rank as the most brutal years for journalists.
Uncomfortable with the trend, and worried by the seeming lack of commitment to the protection of journalists, the United Nations General assembly at its 68th session in Tanzania in September, 2013 adopted a resolution to set aside every November 2, to muster efforts to denounce threats to journalists and by extension, media freedom worldwide.
This year’s event drew attention to unresolved cases where violence had been used against journalists, simply exercising their freedom of expression and duty of reporting. However, this effort is yet to yield the much-expected positive result given disturbing reports that only one in 10 cases of violence against journalists has produced conviction.
The fact that new cases of violence against journalists still occur amidst failure of governments to implement their commitment to protect journalists in the performance of their duties, extra measures need to be considered to effect compliance.
A situation where media practitioners continue to report threats and intimation, from political parties, communal groups, terrorists and state security agencies and while society and those who naturally should act, look the other way, without as much as asking questions, portends an even greater danger.
More disturbing is the fact that many of the countries, Nigeria inclusive, where numerous journalist murders are still unresolved are functioning democracies. This breaks the myth that democracies are safer places for journalists because they respect freedom of speech.
Nigeria and other nations of the world must reaffirm their commitment to the safety of journalists and find solutions towards solving the unresolved murders of journalists in these countries. The killers of journalists must not be allowed to go unpunished.
The Tide insists that the Nigerian government must give account of the killers of not less than 18 journalists in the country since 1986, including the high profile murder of the Editor-In-Chief of News Watch magazine, Dele Giwa.
We agree with the declaration of UN Special Rapporteur on Extra Judicial Arbitrary Execution, Professor Christ of Heyns, that when a journalist is violently targeted and such attack is willfully left un-investigated and perpetrators not prosecuted and sanctioned, impunity is established and when such practices become the norm, impunity is entrenched.
Situations where individual journalists and media organisations are routinely subjected to surveillance, threats, harassments or physical attacks negate the exercise of their roles as a platform for democrate discourse. Such unresolved attacks that go unpunished send the signal of abuse of the rule of law.
We agree with the view that both the rule of law and the exercise of free and independent journalism can only be entrenched in an environment where willful attacks, harassments and arbitrary arrests against journalists are considered unlawful and punished.
It is against this background that we join in the call for the prioritisation of cases involving journalists as court rulings in regard to journalists resonate very far beyond the individual cases concerned. They impact on the building of human rights norms much more broadly.
Journalists on their part must continue to raise awareness and bring the issue of their safety and security on the political agenda at national, regional and international levels until a successful advocacy is achieved.
When Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, received the Board and Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), led by its Chairman, Senator Adeyeye Adedayo Clement, his message was unmistakable: Rivers’ seaports remain underutilised, and Nigeria is poorer for it. The governor’s lament was a sad reminder of how neglect and centralisation continue to choke the nation’s economic arteries.
The governor, in his remarks at Government House, Port Harcourt, expressed concern that the twin seaports — the NPA in Port Harcourt and the Onne Seaport — have not been operating at their full potential. He underscored that seaports are vital engines of national development, pointing out that no prosperous nation thrives without efficient ports and airports. His position aligns with global realities that maritime trade remains the backbone of industrial expansion and international commerce.
Indeed, the case of Rivers State is peculiar. It hosts two major ports strategically located along the Bonny River axis, yet cargo throughput has remained dismally low compared to Lagos. According to NPA’s 2023 statistics, Lagos ports (Apapa and Tin Can Island) handled over 75 per cent of Nigeria’s container traffic, while Onne managed less than 10 per cent. Such a lopsided distribution is neither efficient nor sustainable.
Governor Fubara rightly observed that the full capacity operation of Onne Port would be transformative. The area’s vast land mass and industrial potential make it ideal for ancillary businesses — warehousing, logistics, ship repair, and manufacturing. A revitalised Onne would attract investors, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth, not only in Rivers State but across the Niger Delta.
The multiplier effect cannot be overstated. The port’s expansion would boost clearing and forwarding services, strengthen local transport networks, and revitalise the moribund manufacturing sector. It would also expand opportunities for youth employment — a pressing concern in a state where unemployment reportedly hovers around 32 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Yet, the challenge lies not in capacity but in policy. For years, Nigeria’s maritime economy has been suffocated by excessive centralisation. Successive governments have prioritised Lagos at the expense of other viable ports, creating a traffic nightmare and logistical bottlenecks that cost importers and exporters billions annually. The governor’s call, therefore, is a plea for fairness and pragmatism.
Making Lagos the exclusive maritime gateway is counter productive. Congestion at Tin Can Island and Apapa has become legendary — ships often wait weeks to berth, while truck queues stretch for kilometres. The result is avoidable demurrage, product delays, and business frustration. A more decentralised port system would spread economic opportunities and reduce the burden on Lagos’ overstretched infrastructure.
Importers continue to face severe difficulties clearing goods in Lagos, with bureaucratic delays and poor road networks compounding their woes. The World Bank’s Doing Business Report estimates that Nigerian ports experience average clearance times of 20 days — compared to just 5 days in neighbouring Ghana. Such inefficiency undermines competitiveness and discourages foreign investment.
Worse still, goods transported from Lagos to other regions are often lost to accidents or criminal attacks along the nation’s perilous highways. Reports from the Federal Road Safety Corps indicate that over 5,000 road crashes involving heavy-duty trucks occurred in 2023, many en route from Lagos. By contrast, activating seaports in Rivers, Warri, and Calabar would shorten cargo routes and save lives.
The economic rationale is clear: making all seaports operational will create jobs, enhance trade efficiency, and boost national revenue. It will also help diversify economic activity away from the overburdened South West, spreading prosperity more evenly across the federation.
Decentralisation is both an economic strategy and an act of national renewal. When Onne, Warri, and Calabar ports operate optimally, hinterland states benefit through increased trade and infrastructure development. The federal purse, too, gains through taxes, duties, and improved productivity.
Tin Can Island, already bursting at the seams, exemplifies the perils of over-centralisation. Ships face berthing delays, containers stack up, and port users lose valuable hours navigating chaos. The result is higher operational costs and lower competitiveness. Allowing states like Rivers to fully harness their maritime assets would reverse this trend.
Compelling all importers to use Lagos ports is an anachronistic policy that stifles innovation and local enterprise. Nigeria cannot achieve its industrial ambitions by chaining its logistics system to one congested city. The path to prosperity lies in empowering every state to develop and utilise its natural advantages — and for Rivers, that means functional seaports.
Fubara’s call should not go unheeded. The Federal Government must embrace decentralisation as a strategic necessity for national growth. Making Rivers’ seaports work is not just about reviving dormant infrastructure; it is about unlocking the full maritime potential of a nation yearning for balance, productivity, and shared prosperity.
