Popular human and democratic rights activist-turned politician, Comrade Shehu Sani, has said the media contributed to the downfall of former Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Shehu Sani who represents Kaduna Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was speaking at an interactive session with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Kaduna.
He said, “The Nigerian media played a major role leading to the success of the APC. You informed and mobilised the people and by your information you sensitised the people. It would have been impossible for us to evict the Goodluck administration without your professional support.”
While appreciating the role the media have played in the struggle for the restoration of democratic rule, Senator Sani added that the the Nigerian media played a role to ensure good governance and a corrupt-free society and democracy based on the tenets of democracy itself since 1999.
“The eviction of Jonathan was possible because you informed and enlightened Nigerians on the need to look at the future with hope and optimism to take the course of change. The change in Nigeria can only be of value if it brings meaning to the lives of the common people, those common people who toiled day and night and have suffered for years and those common people who came out and using their thumb prints to bring us to power.”
“From 1983 to 1999, the Nigerian media led the resistance against military dictatorship. You gave us the coverage we needed, the backing and the moral support to be able to dislodge the military out of power and restore our country to democratic rule.”
“When we were in prison during the military era, the Nigerian media kept the torch of freedom alive and the media have kept the flag of freedom flying.”
Sani notes that if the intra-party crisis currently rocking the APC persists, it will impact negatively on programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, among other issues.
