Press Reportage and Political Instability in Nigeria

ByIyabobola Olubukunola Ajibola, PhD

AndMargaret Solo-Anaeto, M.Sc

Abstract

Political instability is inimical to the growth and development of a country. Nigeria is

prone to political conflicts and these conflicts often threaten the socio-political cohesion

of the country. Causes of political instability can be traced to power struggle among

political actors, the manipulation of resources and information as well as the

intimidation of perceived opponents of political parties in power. The press have key

roles to play in political stability in the country but oftentimes, they are part of the

problem because of the way and manner of reporting issues that cause dissent and

friction in Nigeria. This paper therefore highlights the role of press reportage in political

instability in Nigeria. It not only explores the myriad of ways in which the press aid

political instability but also proffers solutions on how these challenges can be effectively

tackled.

Key Words: Political instability, Political conflicts, Press

reportage, Nigeria, Challenges.

Introduction

Political stability can be adduced to be a political state

that is balanced and not likely to topple over. However, there is

no political state that is perpetually balanced. Every political

state is dynamic and prone to change. Conversely, political

instability occurs when a nation experiences political upheavals

and turmoil. One of the causes of political instability is

negative conflict.

Politics is believed to generate conflict because it is

essentially about “who gets what, when, how”

(www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb1998-2007). In the process of determining

who gets what; at what time, when and how; quarrels, scheming,

conflicts and violence occur among contending parties. This gives

rise to political conflicts. Political conflicts in Nigeria occur

as a result of contestations over who gets what, when and how.

These disputes are often times over power, resources and

political relevance.

The role of the press in political instability in Nigeria

has been variously discussed by scholars in Nigeria (Alanamu:

2005; Albert: 2009; Dare: 2007; Mohammed: 2002). The press in

Nigeria have been very active in setting the tone of discussions

on political conflicts in the country. It has covered and

reported political conflicts superbly. However, in the course of

bringing political issues to light, it is believed that it over-

reported, sustained and even escalated political conflicts in the

country. In other words, the press is either a part of the

problem or a catalyst for resolution in political conflict.

This paper therefore explores the role of press reportage on

political conflicts as it impacts the nation’s stability. It will

as well identify features of news reportage that encourage or

discourage political conflicts in three different phases of

conflict formation, sustenance and escalation.

Causes of Political Instability in Nigeria

Political instability in Nigeria is caused by a number of

factors. These include but are not limited to manipulation of

elections and the electoral process, intimidation of people

considered to be members of opposition parties and more lately,

of members in the same political party, money politics and greed,

the politicisation of community and trade unions, proliferation

of weapons and arms, industrial and trade disputes, violence, bad

governance, corruption, as well as intra and inter-party

conflicts. Other causes include the struggle for power, position,

political relevance and perks of office among politicians and

party loyalists as well as struggle for resource control.

Resource control has contributed to the struggle for political

power among politicians because political positions in Nigeria

are considered to be very lucrative. It is believed that one of

the easiest ways to become rich in the Nigerian society is by

becoming a politician. This is affirmed by Dudley (1973) in Azeez

(2005) when he states that:

… The shortest cut to affluence is through politics. Politics mean money and money means politics. To get politics, there is always a price… To be a member of the government party means an open avenue to government patronage, contract deals and the

like. But once, having known the probability of having power, the party(and the individual members) naturallyuses the same government machinery to stay in power.

Another major cause of political instability in Nigeria is

political corruption. In this instance, “the concentration of

resources in the state makes the possession of political power

very lucrative and the competition for political offices very

intense” (IPCR: 2002). The desire to control resources and by

extension, power, by various individuals often causes violence

and tension at all levels of governance in the country. A

majority of conflicts in Nigeria thereby emanate as a result of

contestations for power among different groups and individuals

within the society.

Intolerance between and among individuals and the struggle

for power among and between individuals and factions within the

political environment have been constant sources of political

instability in the country. The struggle for political power has

bred bad-blood between political arrow-heads and those regarded

as elder statesmen. The followers of political gladiators take

the trouble between their mentors to heart and make all sorts of

inciting statements about rival politicians. This heats up the

political state.

Political godfathers in governance also aid political

instability. An example is Oyo State, South-West, Nigeria where,

a godfather had in the past allegedly claimed that “I am the

controller of politics in Oyo State. I dominate the political

affairs of the state. All the governors that ever won never did

so without my contribution and influence.... if you must win

election, you must come here. By the will of God, wherever I am,

people must definitely win” (Abanobi; 2007: 30) in (Omotola

(2007).

Finally, bad governance is also a cause of political

instability in the country. There are eight basic elements of

good governance as identified in a toolkit published by the

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the

Pacific (UNESCAP). Good governance must be participatory,

consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive,

effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and must follow

the rule of law.

Good governance “assures that corruption is minimised, the

views of minorities are taken into account and the voices of the

most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is

also responsive to the present and future needs of society”,

(www.UNESCAP.org/HUSET/gg/governance.htm).

Good governance is a prerequisite for political stability.

All these essentials of good governance must come into play in

the quest for political stability in the country.

The Press as a Stakeholder in Political (In) Stability

Political conflicts are major causes of political

instability in the country. There are a couple of theories

relevant to this discourse, especially as pertains to press

reportage and political conflicts.

One of these theories is the Social Responsibility Theory.

The theory proposes that the media should present any issue that

can generate debate and public discourse in the society

impartially. It pre-supposes that the press has moral and

professional responsibilities to air the views of all persons

interested in expressing their opinions on a particular issue but

that these should be within certain limits. It advocates that the

press should be subjected to some kind of control to prevent

abuses and is necessary in the event that information received

could disrupt social structures or interests. The press needs to

be socially responsible in its reportage of conflicts in the

country because of its immense power to shape the course of

conflict due to its reach and impact.

Conflict Generation

There have been allegations in some quarters that the press

in Nigeria generate conflict (The Guardian; November 1, 2005: 6)

possibly because of its role as watchdog of the society. Being the

watchdog of the society often pitches the press against government as

Osoba (1985:14) notes;

Of all the roles the press is expectedto perform, the most daring and formidable task that breeds executive antagonism is the role of watchdog. Inthis role, the press ought to expose and analyse the deeds of government toenable the public see in which direction the government is veering, evil or good or whether it is keeping faith with the constitution.

However, a survey conducted recently on the impact of press

reportage on political conflicts indicates that the press does

not generate conflicts in the country and neither does it

fabricate stories to start-off conflicts. Table 1 and Figure 1

establish that newspapers report conflict stories as they unfold

and do not start conflicts. The press makes the general public

more aware of political conflicts and do not create them.

Table 1: Time of Publication of Political Conflict Stories in Selected

National Dailies in Nigeria

Publication Time of ReportLate

nt

Plot

s

Prote

sts

Violen

ce

Stalem

ate

Cal

m

Afterm

ath

Othe

rs

The

Guardian

24.1

%

19.0

%

23.8% 15.2% 9.7% 5.3

%

2.6% 0.3%

The Punch 19.9

%

24.4

%

10.5% 19.0% 6.9% 7.5

%

8.2% 3.5%

Nigerian

Tribune

18.7

%

18.3

%

17.2% 20.7% 2.0% 5.3

%

16.9% 9%

New

Nigerian

7.1% 17.2

%

7.1% 30.3% 1.0% 2.0

%

34.3% 1.0%

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100

%

100% 100%

Source: Field Survey Report 2010

The Table above shows that the press does not generate

conflicts. The selected newspapers reviewed show that the press

start reporting stories after the occurrence of conflicts, and in

that wise, it cannot be said that it generates conflict. Figure 1

below, also supports this assertion.

Fig. 1: The role of press reportage in political conflict generation

in Nigeria

Source: Field Survey Report 2010

The figure above shows that generally, Nigerians also do not

believe that press reportage cause political conflicts in the

country; although it is quite surprising to note that quite a

large number of respondents do not really know if reports on

political conflicts published by the press generate conflict.

Conflict Sustenance

The press sustain political conflict by the frequency and

manner of reportage of conflict issues. The press also sustain

conflicts by repeatedly focusing on political conflict issues and

keeping conflicts in public purview.

Fig.2: Effects of press reportage on political conflicts in

Nigeria

Source: Field Survey Report 2010

Figure 2 indicates that there is a general feeling among

respondents that newspaper reports on political conflict

negatively affect political conflicts. Press reportage of

conflicts contribute to political instability, heat up the polity

and contribute to the outbreak of these conflicts. These factors

invariably heat up the political environment, sustaining tension

in the country.

Conflict Escalation

Conflict in Nigeria becomes escalated when appropriate

interventions are not put in place early enough in order to

manage the outbreak of minor frictions and conflict within the

system. When conflict escalates, violence ensues. The Nigerian

press escalates conflict because it tends to focus on hard-line

positions, irreconcilable differences, inflammatory statements

and violent and threatening actions of parties locked in

conflict. It also tends to over-report and sensationalise

conflicts.

Figure 3 shows that an overwhelming number of respondents

feel that though the press expose incidences of political

conflicts in Nigeria, these are over-reported. The over-reportage

of these conflicts incidentally pushes conflicts to stages of

escalation. The over-reportage and manner of reportage of

incidences of conflict affect conflicts negatively. This is

because at times, when the press reports minor, internal

wrangling within a political party, it blows it out of proportion

and consequently polarises the actors. In most cases, this minor

internal wrangling snowballs into full-blown conflict. Figure 3: Manner of press reportage of political conflicts in Nigeria

Source: Field Survey Report 2010

The excerpt below from a Nigerian daily, the ‘Nigerian Tribune;

July 3, 2006:4’ is indicative of this:

“Lar’s Wife may be sacked as Ambassador; over hubby’s

row with PDP”

The crisis rocking the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is

taking a personal tone as the wife of Chief Solomon Lar who

is serving as Nigeria’s Ambassador to one of the

European Countries is reportedly facing a sack threat from

the Federal Government.

Nigerian Tribune findings revealed that many top people

within both the government and the PDP were not happy with

the refusal of Chief Lar to renounce his appointment as the

leader of Iro-Safana-Oyedokun faction of the ruling party

more than a month after the faction opened a rival office in

Abuja.

Figure 4: Typology of press reportage of political conflicts in

Nigeria

Source: Field Survey Report: 2010

Figure 4 shows that generally respondents feel that

newspapers publish inflammatory, sensational and slanted

political conflict reports. And that these reports are majorly

written with negative language. The negative use of language

encourages conflict escalation in the country.

These observations indicate that press reports on political

conflict are generally inflammatory, sensational and at times

slanted.

Techniques used by the Press

The press employ a number of techniques such as language,

placement, frequency of reports and headlines to sustain and

escalate conflicts.

- Language

Generally, language used by the press in reporting political

conflicts in Nigeria is negative despite the fact that the press

should present political reports and stories in a neutral

language because of the sensitivity and volatile nature of these

types of conflicts. The negative use of language also influenced

the tone of a majority of press reports on political conflicts as

these were also majorly negative. These inadvertently influenced

conflict escalation and instability in the country.

- Headlines

Headlines are used to attract the attention of the reader.

Headlines can be sensational or exaggerated. These types of

headlines are called screamers. Screamers are used to present

facts in ways that are more shocking than they really are. At

times, they are also used to describe someone or something that

is not correct or unfair to the persons being presented.

The use of sensational headlines in conflict reports generally

make these reports more inflammatory. This is especially true in

the case of political conflicts in Nigeria where a majority of

news are published with sensational headlines. For instance, The

Punch Newspaper; March 28, 2011 had as headline:

Ribadu Visits “Okija Shrine of Corruption” – IBB

Endorses Him

This story was published when Nuhu Ribadu visited the former

military president Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida when the former was

campaigning for the post of president in the 2011 general

elections in the country.

Another example is the caption of a news item published by

the Newsday Newspaper dated July 25, 2013 titled:

- Nigeria Governors Forum Irrelevant says Presidency

From the examples cited above, it can be seen that

sensational headlines often aid tension in political conflicts,

even if the stories they headline are okay and devoid of

sensationalism.

- Labelling and Name-calling

The Nigerian press also makes use of labelling and name-

calling techniques in the course of describing certain political

figures, events, ideas and even political parties in political

reportage. These techniques are basically believed to be

propagandist in nature

(http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/propaganda_technique.) Labelling

uses two main strategies to achieve its aim. These are euphemism

and dysphemism. Euphemism is used to increase the perceived

credibility, integrity, quality or authority of a personality,

idea, political group or movement in the minds of the general

public. Examples abound and include “Godfather of Oyo politics”

referring to the late Lamidi Adedibu, a chieftain of the Peoples’

Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State and reframing the slogan of

Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) which is “Power to the People” to

“Power!” while dysphemism is used to discredit, de-popularise or

hurt the perceived integrity or reputation of an individual,

group of people/ political party, ideas or opinions. The name-

calling technique is used to create a negative impression about a

person, group or idea. It involves calling people or group

unpleasant names in order to create fear in the general public.

- Placement Technique

The placement of a story in a newspaper is dependent on how

important the editor considers the story. The placement

technique is used to sustain and escalate political conflicts

as the most important reports are given prominence by placing

them in strategic positions and pages of the newspaper.

Important political conflicts are usually placed on the front

and back pages of dailies as well as given prominence in the

editorial columns of newspapers.

Generally, political conflicts in the country are major

causes of instability and press reportage of these often fuels

crises; these ties with the submission made by John. M. Ross

(2003:13) in Howard Ross et al. (2003: 21) that:

Whenever and wherever violent conflictlooms, the media – television, radio, newspapers and websites – have a crucial role to play. They can inflamethe situation or use their considerable power to defuse tension. In other words, they can be part of the problem, or they can be part of the solution. In practice, they are usually both.

Challenges faced by the Press in Nigeria

The press in Nigeria face a number of challenges in its

operations. These include but are not limited to:

- Pressure from the Political Class: Journalists are faced

with lots of pressure from the political class. Politicians

want to project their own agenda and so they induce

journalists in every way possible in order to influence them

to write negative reports about their opponents or

contenders and to present them in a bad light. Some even go

to the extent of paying journalists to write lies and false

stories about their opponents

- Occupational Hazards: Journalism in Nigeria is full of

hazards. Journalists are prone to attacks in the political

environment and by political actors who often feel aggrieved

over the press’s perceived position over an issue.

Journalists get death threats, are humiliated and

manhandled, and are often involved in accidents that claim

their lives or leave them injured. Some journalists have

been killed, others maimed, in the course of doing their

job.

- Corrupt and Unethical Practices: The press still has the

problem of some bad eggs in its house. There are some

journalists who set aside professional judgment and engage

in all sorts of unethical practices. There are those who

seek and collect bribe to publish stories, those who invent

stories and quotations; engaging in over-implication or

sensationalism.

- Ownership Interest: In some cases, the press is faced with

working in line with the interests of its proprietors. Some

owners interfere with the content of the press and even

dictate what to report and what not to report. They see the

media as tools for just promoting and protecting their

personal interests.

- Journalists’ Emolument and Welfare: Journalists in Nigeria

are not well paid. They receive very little in comparison to

the demands and pressure of the profession. And even at that

they are not paid regularly; some are owed months salaries,

even the little salaries are not paid on time; they are owed

for months. There is no much for journalists in terms of

welfare packages like transport allowance, housing

allowance, insurance and such. This does not encourage

professionalism and full commitment to the job.

- Unbalanced Reporting: Some journalists and media houses do

not give balanced reportage. They only give reports of the

side(s) favourable to them and ignore the others.

Professionalism demands that all sides and parties to a

story be heard and reported.

- The Economy of the Country: The state of the country’s

economy affects the press. Inflation and reduction in the

value of the Naira is an issue for organisations.

Advertising income is reduced because not much organisations

except the big ones advertise. There is also reduced income

from sales of the publication as it is few people who buy

newspapers.

- Production Cost: The cost of producing newspapers in the

country is on the high side. This is because materials and

equipment such as film, ink, plate, that are used are not

produced in the country and so the cost of importing them

increases production costs. Print media outfits have to

stretch their budget to be able to meet up with targets and

survival.

Conclusion

The Nigerian press can aid political stability in the countryby:

- Objectively reporting issues that cause political

instability in the country. They should de-emphasise slant

and biased reporting of issues that heighten political

tension.

- There is also the need for the press to present early,

reports on issues that tend to cause instability in the

country.

- The press should be apolitical. Journalists should not be

polarised along political, ethnic or religious leanings. The

Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and National Association

of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) should not be political.

- The press should help in building confidence in the

political system by reducing reportage that fuel suspicion

among the political class.

- By educating the general populace on the disadvantages and

threats of political instability to the country.

- Creating a level playing ground for all politicians in the

country irrespective of the geo-political affiliations and

political parties in the political space.

- Journalists should give all sides in dispute equal

opportunities to air their views.

There is also the need to achieve political stability in the

country by making the constitution and the rule of law should be

made supreme. All Nigerians, irrespective of class should obey

the laws of the country and anybody who is found guilty of

circumventing the law should be disciplined. The Nigerian

judiciary must be truly independent in order for it to

effectively carry out its functions. All security agencies need

to be impartial and arrest and prosecute all sponsors and

perpetrators of political violence. Community, trade unions and

religious bodies and groups should be not become politicised and

neither should they become appendages of any political party in

the country. Political Offices should be de-monetised or at least

the money accruing to political office holders should be

commensurate with what you find in the Public Service and they

must be taxed accordingly. And finally, politicians should be

encouraged to stop heating up the polity unnecessarily with their

utterances and actions.

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[13] Wikipedia. “Propaganda Techniques” (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/propaganda_technique