The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) welcomes the recent declaration by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, made during his meeting with leaders of the Nigerian media, affirming his administration’s support for the Nigerian media’s campaign for fair revenue from Big Tech as well as broader efforts to dismantle fiscal and structural barriers threatening the sustainability of local journalism. We urge the president to back his statement with immediate action.
For years, WSCIJ has highlighted how structural pressures, particularly economic vulnerabilities and civic space constraints, undermine press freedom and democratic accountability. Through its award, lecture, Civic Space Guard programme and collaborations with organisations and initiatives with similar interventions, among others.
The WSCIJ has produced evidence-based research and convened strategic dialogues with stakeholders to safeguard journalists and expand civic freedoms. In 2022, WSCIJ’s report, Hushed Voices and the Media’s Defence of Civic Space analysed 150 civic space violations across Nigeria between 2012 and 2022, highlighting how state actions often impede freedoms of expression, association and independent reporting.
Building on this, the 2023 Journalism and Civic Space Status report, Hushed Voices in an Election Year documented heightened threats during a critical electoral cycle, revealing how systemic pressures, including economic and political risks, further constrict press freedom. These findings continue to inform WSCIJ’s advocacy for sustainable media ecosystems and underscore the urgency of equitable revenue frameworks and responsive regulations to protect local journalism.
WSCIJ’s Shrinking Freedoms: A 2024 Journalism and Civic Space Status Report further documented 103 press freedom violations, including unlawful arrests, harassment and blockade of journalists covering public events, demonstrating that threats to civic space remain persistent and multifaceted. Coupled with economic pressures driven by Big Tech dominance and declining revenue streams, these trends position media sustainability as a central issue for Nigeria’s democratic trajectory.
President Tinubu’s support for reviewing tariff exemptions on essential media inputs, such as newsprint and broadcast equipment, alongside his assurance that media sustainability concerns are being addressed, signals a positive step toward recognising the economic foundations of press freedom. WSCIJ welcomes this openness to engagement and encourages the development of policy and regulatory measures that will ensure Nigerian media organisations can thrive in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
Over the years, WSCIJ has convened media and civil society leaders, security agencies, lawyers, government representatives and other stakeholders to foster mutual understanding and strengthen commitments to press freedom.
At the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria Chapter Conference in Abuja on Tuesday 2 December 2025, the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, pledged to intervene in ongoing issues of media repression and stated the presidencies commitment to press freedom. Similarly, at the second Civic Space Guard Conference in 2024, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, former Force Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Police Force, pledged to on behalf of the Nigeria Police to protect journalists and uphold freedoms of expression and access to information. These commitments and many more like them must now be translated into consistent action.
WSCIJ welcomes the President’s affirmation of support for the media in its push for fair revenue and economic sustainability. A free press and an open civic space are not luxuries; they are essential to democratic accountability. When journalists operate without undue constraint and media organisations have the economic stability to function independently, citizens benefit from fuller information and greater participation in public life.
WSCIJ remains committed to sustained research, strategic advocacy, collaborative efforts, and capacity-building initiatives that protect media freedom, expand civic space and strengthen democratic governance in Nigeria.
Signed:
Motunrayo Alaka
Executive Director/CEO
Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ)
