THE ROLE OF THE MASS MEDIA IN PROPAGATING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE IN NIGERIAN

THE ROLE OF THE MASS MEDIA IN PROPAGATING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE IN NIGERIAN

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The political entity called Nigeria has continued since independence under one form of governance to the other. The military rulers have had to rule by decrees thus suspending the constitution that guarantees the citizenry their fundamental human rights. It therefore, makes it obvious that the basis for government, which is for the ultimate good of the people, is defeated when their rights are not guaranteed. And indeed authoritarian rule has not helped human right issues, as abuse had over time been recorded and even in the most bizarre manner.

This is where the mass media comes into focus, as though, the government and the governed are better informed about their various privileges and limitations as they are entrenched in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, able it only under a democratically elected government. The mass media serve as the cornerstone of any progress in the society both economically and politically. And because they serve as an essential ingredients in the successful management of human right abuse all over the world. It is therefore expected that their role as societal watchdogs should not be abandoned for some mundane issue. For a society that its citizens cannot be guaranteed for the protection of their fundamental human rights cannot be said to be free in the real sense of the word.