By Tonnie Iredia
According to Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999,"every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.”
To underscore the importance of this right, the constitution further expands the empowerment beyond private discussions by recognizing the use of the media to effect communication across the globe by anyone desirous of consummating the freedom of speech provided by the section. Hence, Section 39(2) explicitly empowers citizens to “own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions.”
