After jailing dozens of Nigerian journalists in his first year as president, Bola Tinubu is touting his credentials as a bona fide respecter of media rights in the most populous Black nation.

In a world where everyone is a journalist it is difficult to chase down factual stories. More worrisome is the attacks professional journalists face,” said Mr Tinubu’s spokesman, Sunday Dare, on Tuesday. “There can be no substitute for fact-based ethical journalism. And even with that journalists get arrested and interrogated. It comes with the terrain. Under the military it was worse. President Tinubu respects the media and will protect journalists.”

Several journalists have been arrested since Mr Tinubu assumed power on May 29, 2023, with the police and SSS using the Cybercrime Act as a smokescreen. A rabid raid against journalists both in person and online has continued despite the president’s claim that he is media-friendly.

Nigeria was ranked as one of the most challenging countries for journalists in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, indicating how Nigerian journalists were regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested.

In an interview aired on New Central on Monday, Mr Dare said journalists daring to speak truth to power must be ready for unwarranted attacks.

“If you sign up to be a journalist, it is not a bed of roses. You must be ready for a crackdown; you must be ready to be arrested, challenged and interrogated even when your stories are facts,” Mr Dare warned.

The presidential spokesman added, “If you get picked up often, it’s because your stories are correct. If you come with a different mindset, then any little invitation and attack gets to you.”