Collaborative Advocacy Emerges as a Catalyst for Strengthening Press Freedom in Nigeria

By Ude Ogbonnaya Israel

Stakeholders from the media, civil society, and digital advocacy spaces have identified strategic collaboration as a critical pathway for strengthening press freedom, freedom of expression, and civic engagement across Nigeria.

This position emerged during a Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) Openness Index capacity-building session held in Abuja, bringing together journalists, Civil Society Organizations, and media influencers from across the country.

The engagement followed the July launch of Nigeria’s first Openness Index Report, an evidence-based assessment measuring the state of press freedom, freedom of expression, and civic participation across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking at the event, CJID Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olorunyomi, represented by Deputy Director of Journalism and Programmes, Busola Ajibola, emphasized that stronger collaboration would have significantly improved Nigeria’s overall performance on the Openness Index.

She stressed the urgent need to raise public awareness on press freedom and civic space challenges highlighted in the report, particularly at sub-national and state levels where openness indicators remain consistently below the national average.

According to her, journalists often struggle to amplify their own experiences, noting that attacks on press freedom, freedom of expression, and civic engagement frequently go underreported or lack sustained collective advocacy.

A panel session titled “How Media and CSOs Can Co-Create Resilience for Press Freedom and Civic Space” underscored that intentional partnerships among stakeholders can significantly expand advocacy reach and improve long-term impact.

Panelists including Lanre Arogundade of the International Press Centre, NUJ FCT Chairperson Grace Ike, TheCable Editor Kolapo Olapoju, and Media Rights Agenda’s Ayoade Longe affirmed the importance of joint advocacy efforts.

Referencing the Openness Index findings, CJID disclosed that Nigeria’s national openness score stands at approximately 51 percent, positioning the country as an average enabler of press freedom and civic participation.

Ajibola noted that the data shows Nigeria is not performing strongly, urging stakeholders to collectively explore practical actions that can improve civic space resilience and strengthen democratic accountability nationwide.

Earlier, CJID Programme Manager for Media Freedom, Christiana Longe, explained that the Openness Index fills a critical gap by providing locally generated, evidence-based data reflecting Nigeria’s unique media and civic environment.

She observed that while southern states generally performed better than northern states, notable exceptions exist, resulting in an uneven and fragile openness landscape, with no state achieving a perfect score.

Longe further revealed that economic constraints are the most severe national inhibitor of press freedom, while security agencies remain key obstacles to press openness across many states.

She added that administrative transparency was identified as the weakest dimension nationwide, limiting citizens’ access to information and weakening accountability mechanisms within public institutions.

During a session on the role of social media influencers, participants emphasized the need to simplify and humanize the Openness Index findings for greater resonance with online audiences.

They argued that translating complex data into relatable digital narratives would enhance public understanding, broaden engagement, and strengthen advocacy for press freedom across social media platforms.