Abstract

In Nigeria, the relationship between the press and government has been unimpressive. Despite global efforts by other world countries to entrench the fundamental human rights into their constitutions, Nigeria has not shown full commitment to freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. This paper looked at the concept of freedom of expression in Nigeria to ascertain whether there are still limitations to unconditional access to information, after signing into law, the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, on 28^th May 2011.  It examined the nature and effectiveness of journalism as a profession in Nigeria. The problem of this paper is the inherent lack of complete press freedom in Nigeria. It concluded that FOI Act is a mere placebo, which offered no specific protection,  rather, imposed responsibilities on journalists, without providing them with specific rights beyond general constitutional rights. The paper recommends a further amendment of the1999 Constitution to make provisions for laws that will specifically protect journalists on duty.

Key Words:    Freedom of Information Act, Human Rights, Placebo, Press Freedom, Journalism

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*Chidinma Henrietta Onwubere, Ph.D, LL.B., is with the School of Arts and Social Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria, University Village, Plot 91, Jabi Cadastral Zone, Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, Jabi, Abuja, Nigeria.

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 8, No. 2, October 2016, 230 – 243