Alhaji Lateef Jakande Speaks On Press Freedom At A Nigerian Press Institute Conference | May 1975

Описание: Wednesday, May 14th 1975.

Footage of Alhaji Lateef Jakande speaking at a conference of Nigerian journalists in Lagos on Press freedom, the theme for the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute Conference.

Reuters Text:

The two-day conference was told by Nigeria's Federal Commissioner for Information, Mr. Edwin Clark, that the Press was not under any pressure in Nigeria. Even in the darkest days of the civil war, no censorship was imposed on the Nigerian Press, he said.

The journalists, representing all the news media, listened to speakers from Nigerian newspapers and guest speakers from Canada, Japan, Sweden and the United States.

In his opening address, the Chairman of the Nigerian National Committee of the IPI, Mr. L.K. Jakande, said that Press freedom could not be taken for granted in any country. The ultimate sufferer of this was always the citizen, he said.

As Press freedom was the touchstone of all the other liberties of the citizen, freedom of the Press should be the concern of every human being, he said.

Transcript of Jakande's Remarks:

"An attack on press freedom in any country derogates from the totality of press freedom in the world. All too often, media men in some advanced countries, because they were born into press freedom, adopt an attitude of indifference to encroachments on press freedom in other countries. All too often, media men in some developing countries resign themselves to the pernicious doctrine that their press cannot be free for reasons which are patently absurd and grossly illogical."

Source: Reuters News Archive.