Broadcasters Threaten Boycott Over Wike's Remarks

The Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria (IBAN) has issued a warning that all press briefings will be boycotted if Minister Nyesom Wike fails to apologize to journalist Okinbaloye for remarks made during a live interview on Channel Television. The controversy arose during Wike's comments on the "Political Today" program, where he reacted to Okinbaloye's commentary on Nigeria's democratic trajectory.

Following the interview, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Public Communication, described Wike's comments as hyperbolic and argued they were taken out of context. However, IBAN maintained that the remarks were inappropriate for a public official and could be interpreted as a threat to journalists, contributing to a hostile environment for media practitioners.

The association highlighted Nigeria's low ranking of 122 out of 180 countries in the global press freedom index and called for Wike to withdraw his remarks and issue a public apology, reaffirming the commitment to press freedom as per Section 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution.