Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to safeguarding press freedom, describing journalists as the nation’s “primary defence against authoritarian rule” and insisting that media liberty remains a non-negotiable pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking on Tuesday at the 2025 Conference and Annual General Meeting of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria in Abuja, the Vice President commended the Nigerian media for what he called its historic resilience and frontline role in preserving democratic accountability.
The conference was themed “Addressing Media Repression and Safeguarding Democratic Accountability in Nigeria.”
Shettima said journalists have consistently stabilised the nation during periods of uncertainty by countering misinformation, interrogating power and amplifying truth.
“You have played a stabilising role at every moment when tension threatened to engulf the nation,” he said. “Your vigilance has strengthened our democracy, corrected falsehoods and reminded power of its limits.”
Reassuring the media community of government’s support, the Vice President emphasized that no journalist should operate under fear, intimidation or harassment.
“We owe you a space of practice devoid of harassment, intimidation, or fear. That much is non-negotiable,” he said. “As a government, we must continue to create an environment where truth can thrive without obstruction and where the work you do is protected rather than policed.”
Shettima added that Nigeria’s media ecosystem has historically frustrated any attempt to suppress dissent, noting that no actor civilian or military has ever succeeded in permanently silencing the press.
“It is impossible, utterly impossible, to have a successful dictator in Nigeria,” he said. “Never in our history has any person or government succeeded in suppressing the media permanently.”
The Vice President’s remarks come amid ongoing concerns among media rights groups about the arrests, threats and regulatory pressures journalists have faced in recent years. His assurances were therefore welcomed by participants as a signal that the administration intends to reinforce protections for press practitioners.
IPI Nigeria’s leadership urged the government to translate its commitments into stronger legal safeguards, improved law-enforcement protocols and reforms that prevent abuses of security laws against reporters.
The 2025 IPI Nigeria AGM brought together editors, reporters, media owners and civil society representatives to discuss the state of press freedom and chart sustainable pathways for democratic accountability in the country.
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