VICE President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday, December 2, said Nigeria’s democracy depended on a media ecosystem anchored on ethics, integrity and fact-based reporting.
Addressing senior editors, publishers and journalists, at the 2025 Annual International Press Institute (IPI) conference in Abuja, Shettima said every nation is ultimately defined by the character of its media.
He lauded the Nigerian press for its resilience over the years, noting its capacity to “rise in defence of the public’s right to know” even in difficult times.
“There is no doubt that Nigeria has one of the most vibrant media communities anywhere in the world, a fact proven across generations. We have lived through days that showcased your brilliance and patriotism, just as we have lived through days that revealed your imperfections.
“Yet one thing you have never failed to do is rise in defence of the public’s right to know. You have confronted those who sought to suffocate this oxygen of our democracy, and in moments of national confusion, you stepped forward to correct misinformation. This is a responsibility we cannot afford to take for granted, however complex our relationship may sometimes be.”
He explained that the media had the power “to summon the collective courage of the people” and equally the ability “to dismantle dreams or dismantle illusions.”
According to him, journalism fulfils its duty only when “truth, not convenience, becomes the supreme editorial policy.”
Shettima further lauded what he called the ‘sincerity’ of the Nigerian media in exposing foreign interference and disinformation, stressing that the majority of journalists refused to compromise their platforms.
“One of the proudest moments for journalism in contemporary Nigeria has been the sincerity with which the overwhelming majority of you continue to confront the rising tide of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference.
“You have stood firmly against disinformation and refused to surrender your pens to falsehoods or foreign puppeteers.”
He criticised a ‘minority’ whom he said manipulated unverified data, warning that no one could practise responsible journalism without ethical commitment.
“The pen is only mightier than the sword when it is deployed in the pursuit of justice and objectivity,” he said, adding that without ethics, media work becomes “a dictatorship of text and airwaves.”
Urges media to save democracy
The vice president also described the protection of democracy as the media’s most sacred duty.
This, he argued, includes saving democracy from the political class and “saving the political class from themselves.”
“Democracy is safe only when power is under constant observation,” he argued, insisting that such monitoring must be rooted in integrity.
Shettima said the mainstream media was not the real danger to Nigerian democracy, warning that digital platforms had empowered online mischief-makers.
He described social media actors as a mix of “serious commentators” and ‘mischief-makers’, lamenting that their influence fueled disinformation and deepened national divisions.
‘Impossible to suppress Nigerian media’
Speaking further, Shettima said previous attempts by leaders to intimidate the press failed because the Nigerian media space was too diverse and resilient.
“It is impossible, utterly impossible, to have a successful dictator in Nigeria,” he said, adding that “Never in our history has any person or government succeeded in suppressing the media community.”
Shettima urged journalists to maintain accuracy and fairness while holding the government accountable.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M