On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria, through its Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub is calling for continuous action to protect the rights of journalists.
Observed each year on 10th December, International Human Rights Day marks the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a landmark document that for the first time, set out the fundamental rights and freedoms inalienable to all human beings.
This year, the United Nations, through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, has marked the Day with the theme “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials”. The theme highlights both how deeply human rights are embedded in daily life and how unevenly they are experienced.
The theme, “Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials”, also reminds us that rights are not abstract or distant concepts. They are the freedoms we rely on each day: to speak, to learn, to work with dignity, and to live free from oppression.
The worsening situation of press freedom in Nigeria is reflected in the constant increase of trends of attack on journalists. The documentation of attacks on journalists by IPC-SPJ Hub reveals that between 2020 – 2024, there has been at least a 40% increase over the years.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in a statement said, “the theme for the IHRD 2025 – Everyday Essentials, is a wake-up call to the need for the media community and its stakeholders to put at the front burner issues pertaining to press freedom.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the fundamental rights of journalists. We must continue to attach the highest priority to safeguarding press freedom in Nigeria. We oppose any action, legislation, regulation or political pressure that limits freedom of the press,” Mr. Arogundade said.
“These are trying times and there is more to do in respect to creating an enabling environment for journalists. It is more important than ever that we work to ensure that the rights of journalists are not just words on paper, but are seen, felt and experienced by journalists,” Mr. Arogundade further said.
IPC-SPJ Hub is therefore using today to call on all media stakeholders to continue to act towards promoting the rights of journalists.
SGD:
Melody Akinjiyan
Press Freedom Officer, IPC
melodyakinjiyan@ipcng.org