Military Regimes and the Press in Nigeria, 1966-1993

In thirty-three years of political independence, Nigeria has been governed more than two-thirds of the time by military dictatorships. This book examines the relationship between the dictatorships and the Nigerian press. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship between the press and the Muhammadu Buhari regime. Chris Ogbondah presents recent information on the institutional measures utilized by each military junta in attempts to suppress the dissemination of ideas and opinions in the press. This book also presents comprehensive information on the effects of those institutional measures on the press. Some examples are drawn from the author's own experience as a journalist in Nigeria during part of the first thirteen years of military rule. Contents: Introduction; Tradition of Press Freedom; Auiyi Ironsi and the Press; Gowon, Mohammad/Obasanjo and the Press; The Press under Buhari's Rule; Babangida and the Press; Rationales for Suppression of Expression; My 27-Hour Ordeal at an R-State Guardroom.