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UN expert urges new Weah Administration to advance freedom of expression
LIBERIA needs to lock in and expand the gains made in the years since the civil war, in particular in the areas of freedom of expression, media independence and government transparency, a UN expert said after visiting the country.
At the end of a week-long visit, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, said the new administration’s commitment to freedom of expression deserves the strong support and encouragement of all sectors of Liberian society and the international community.
“Liberia has come a long way since the civil war, and the space for open and indeed vibrant debate in the country is remarkable,” Kaye said.
“After two democratic elections marked by increasingly active media and free expression on the campaign trail,” the Special Rapporteur said, “Liberia enjoys a particular moment to savour its early post-conflict successes.”
“It is a fraught moment, however, given the deep economic problems the country faces and the legitimate demands of the Liberian people for an improvement in the economy and basic institutions of governance. In such a moment, strengthening guarantees in law would signal globally that Liberia is indeed, in President Weah’s phrase, ‘open for business’.
“At the top of the priority list,” Kaye added, “should be the decriminalization of defamation, in keeping with basic international and regional standards, and the transformation of the state broadcasting system into an independent public broadcasting service. Legislation for both is already pending in the legislature, and their quick enactment at this early stage of a new administration would signal to Liberians and the international community a basic commitment to rule of law and media pluralism.”
Pointing out that Liberia adopted in 2010 one of the strongest freedom of information laws, the Special Rapporteur urged the authorities to prioritize implementation. “The Access to Information Act depends on political will for its implementation,” he said. “I particularly urge the authorities to actively disclose and disseminate information, through online mechanisms, regular press briefings, and other tools.
“The strength and diversity of the media depend on more than just legal change, though that is foundational,” Kaye added. “In the face of poor working conditions and extremely limited funding and equipment, the media, governmental actors, and international donors should collaborate to improve the sustainability and professionalism of journalism in Liberia.
“I also note that women journalists face significant challenges and opportunities, but they are evidently quite underrepresented in the profession. I urge all stakeholders to take steps toward better gender balance in the profession, an outcome that would strongly benefit all consumers of the media in Liberia.”
Kaye concluded by underlining his intention to work further with the Liberian Government. “Liberia maintains a very good and open dialogue with various human rights mechanisms. I thank the authorities for their openness to engage in frank discussions at the highest levels and I look forward to exchanging information on my recommendations,” he said.
The expert, who visited the country at the invitation of the Government of Liberia, met with Government authorities, including the President. He also held discussions with civil society organizations, journalists, academics, students, and lawyers. The Special Rapporteur will prepare a report to the Human Rights Council on the main findings of his visit and make recommendations on the promotion of the right to freedom of expression in Liberia.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
More than 50,000 Russian military personnel have died during the Ukraine conflict, the BBC reported Wednesday, citing its own reporters, independent media group Mediazona and volunteers.
They found that more than 27,300 Russian soldiers died during the second year of the war, a 25-percent increase on the first year.
BBC Russian, Mediazona and volunteers have been counting deaths since February 2022, using open-source information from official reports and the media, as well as using satellite images of Russian cemeteries to estimate the number of new graves.
The figure of more than 50,000 is eight times higher than the official toll acknowledged by Moscow in September 2022. It does not include deaths of militia in Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine said in February that it had lost 31,000 soldiers, but that figure is also likely to be significantly lower than the true toll.
Russian losses spiked in January 2023 as it launched a large-scale offensive in Donetsk and again months later last year during the battle for the city of Bakhmut.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” at dawn on February 24, 2022, which has since turned into a bloody and attritional war, isolating Russia from the Western world.
Responding to the report, the Kremlin said it did not disclose any information on military deaths and casualties, which falls under the remit of the defence ministry.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added official secrets laws and those covering what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine meant it was “absolutely understandable” that the ministry did not release the figures.
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has disclosed that 95 million Nigerians need to enroll for the National Identification Number (NIN) to meet its target of 200 million enrollments by 2025.
Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications at NIMC, emphasised the importance of this enrollment during an interview on X over the weekend.
He stated, “For NIMC to meet the 200 million target by 2025, 95 million Nigerians need to register for the NIN.”
Adegoke revealed that over 105 million NINs have been issued to Nigerians and legal residents so far.
He assured Nigerians of the commission’s commitment, saying, “We want to assure Nigerians that within the next one or two years, we will reach our target of enrolling all Nigerians.”
“The NIN serves as a unique identifier for each citizen and has become increasingly important for various government initiatives aimed at improving security, governance, and service delivery.”
Adegoke highlighted the efforts to streamline the modification and enrollment processes under the leadership of Abisoye Coker, the director-general of NIMC. He announced the development of a self-service platform, allowing Nigerians to make necessary modifications such as changing names, dates of birth, email addresses, and phone numbers from anywhere, using different devices.
Emphasising the convenience of the self-service modification portal, Adegoke encouraged Nigerians to utilize this innovative solution.
He noted the evolution of the process, citing the past requirement for applicants to visit NIMC offices for data corrections.
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