TAKING STOCK OF THE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF THE LAW OF SEDITION ON FREE MEDIA AND SELF DETERMINATION IN NIGERIA

This paper assesses the adverse consequences of the law of sedition on free media and self-determination in Nigeria. It looks as the laws protecting the practice of journalism and the misinterpretations of the concepts of sedition, defamation:, freedom of expression as likened to self-determination. Hence, the paper notes that the law of sedition was made harsh to ensure that the "barbaric" Africans and "mission-educated young men who live in villages interfering with the native councils, and acting as correspondent for the mendacious native press" were silenced. It succinctly captures the origin of sedition, its growth and development in Nigeria, as well as the media and the phenomenon of sedition, agitation for self-determination in Nigeria, the nexus between the media, sedition and the agitation for self-determination in Nigeria. It concludes that the issue of sedition has lingered for a period of ions largely as a result of the ' misinterpretation of the principle freedom of expression, constructive criticisms, sedition and even defamation as sedition and defamation rather go pari-passu than freedom of information. The researchers recommended that Nigeria and the media must be mindful of the negative implications of not effectively regulating the information space amidst sedition and defamation and their implications. Such a posture further highlights the depth of apathy for a robust policy • understanding and implementation