Q: What is the state of press freedom in your country?
FA: The Nigerian press is generally free, though it can be improved. For example, the Freedom of Information bill has not been passed despite being in the legislature for five years or more now. However, the Nigerian media remains vibrant and very active and far better off when compared to the days of the military, when the Nigerian media had to resort to guerilla journalism to survive. Now, at least, one is no longer prone to arrest for exposing corruption in government or for criticizing a government policy. You can take a critical stand against the government and still walk free on the streets today.
But access to critical information remains a challenge. This is where the FOI bill would have been vital. For example, public servants are compelled to declare their assets when they take public office, but the media and the public usually do not have access to this information. So the aim of combating corruption by public officers is defeated by the fact that the public does not have access to this information. There will definitely be more transparency and less corruption in government if the FOI is allowed to be passed, and press freedom in Nigeria will be greatly enhanced.
Q: What are the biggest challenges for women journalists in your country?
FA: The challenges are not really peculiar to Nigeria, I believe. Married women journalists have to contend with having to go home late just like their male counterparts and still be required by their husbands to prepare the evening meal. Single women journalists are excluded from some critical assignments because they are considered too soft to handle it. Women journalists have the glass ceiling to contend with. In most cases, they are considered not good enough to be editors or edit some sections of the paper. They are stereotyped into the style and fashion pages and excluded from the business pages, as is the case with my newspaper. But that norm is being broken now that we have an editor who is encouraging us to write on burning issues.
[One] of the personal steps I have taken to change the stereotyped view is to write on political issues and other female-related issues in the comment and analysis section of my paper. I also write features on the plight of women, such as widowhood, by looking at the problems widows have with inheritance at the demise of their husbands. These are the critical challenges we face here. Though I think most women journalists all over the world are basically faced with these challenges, the intensity may differ.
Q: How do you and other women journalists face these challenges?
FA: By challenging the status quo, we go out of way to take assignments that we are considered incapable of taking on. We rub shoulders with the guys in the newsroom and refuse to be intimidated. We negotiate the long hours in the evening by working with our laptops at home. Personally, I have been able to negotiate with my editor to allow me to stay at home on Sundays, so that I have more time for myself, but at the same time I have made sure my staying at home on Sundays has not affected my work output.