SECTOR 1 Freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, is effectively protected and promoted. 1.1 Freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, is guaranteed in the Constitution and supported by other pieces of legislation. Nigeria’s constitution was last revised in 2011, although the amendments were limited to issues concerned with the conduct of elections. The “supreme” law, which has “binding force onall authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, thus contains the same provisions related to freedom of expression as four years ago, when the last AMB was conducted for the country. The constitution regards freedom of expression as a fundamental right, with Section 39 noting that: 1. Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference. 2. Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of this section, every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions. Whereas freedom of expression is explicitly enshrined in the constitution, freedom of media is at best a derivative of this provision. In this regard, journalists only benefit from the right to freely express themselves as “every person” and not as members of a special corps. In other terms, journalists “hide under the law to practice”. The absence of a specific mention of “media freedoms” or “freedom of the press” is seen in the industry as a failure to recognise the special nature of journalistic work, that is, a profession based on the expression of a fundamental right. At the same time, it remains unclear to what extent it curtails media freedoms. Nonetheless, Nigeria’s highest law recognises the cardinal role of the press in pursuing a free and democratic society. Section 22 stipulates that: “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives” of the constitution, “and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.” Some media scholars and activists have argued that the provision affirms the right and freedom of the media to hold the government accountable to the people, and is therefore 12 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2015