SUMMARY
Having given a rundown of the history of the press, from its rise, various stages of growth and challenges faced in every aspect of its evolution, one can only imagine the pain, struggle and battles the Nigerian press has fought. The above paragraphs have shown how instrumental the press has been to the society ranging from the nationalist struggle of pre-independence, the transition process to postindependence, the oppressive military regime of the Second and Third Republics down to the Democratic dispensation; the press was there at every step of the way, fighting the great cause in the face of danger and death.10 No doubt, the dawn of the democratic era following years of the military government sparked hope in the hearts of the people. Democracy, as the name implies, stands for a government of the people, 81 for the people and by the people.11 People could finally breathe a sigh of relief as the time had come for them to fully participate in the governing process and decision making of their home. Jubilations everywhere on May 29, 1999, the Fourth Republic brought a relief to the press in Nigeria as no longer a target of official repression and harassment or so they thought.12 Little did they know that the Fourth Republic came with it, more horrors in the provision for the press in the 1999 Constitution. Although the era of physical confrontation between the press and the government had come to an end, new and more diplomatic measures were adopted all to silence the press. The passing of several restrictive Acts and Laws such as Defamation, Sedition, The Official Secret Act, Copyright Laws, Contempt of Court and many more.13 This goes to show that the legal limitation of press practice in Nigeria has made the practice of journalism a problematic business. No doubt the Constitution makes provisions for the freedom of the press as it states that every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinion, yet on the other hand, the Constitution guarantees the duty of the state to ensure national security by keeping relevant tools and information secret from the public. This poses some questions.
