[size=18pt]Public Officers (Protection Against False Accusation) Decree No. 4,1984[/size]


Drafted on March 29,1984, Decree No. 4 was the most dreaded, most repressive and the last press law enacted in Nigeria. It was promulgated during the military regime of Major General Buhari which did not take kindly to press criticisms.

The law was drafted to punish authors of false statements and reports that exposed the Buhari administration and or its officials to ridicule or contempt.
Section 1, sub-sections (i), (ii) and (iii) of the law - the most formidable section - provided that:
Any person who publishes in any form, whether written or otherwise, any message,rumour, report or statement, being a message, rumour, statement or report which is false in any material particular or which brings or is calculated to bring the Federal Military Government or the Government of a state or public officer to ridicule or disrepute, shall be guilty of an offence under this Decree.

Any station for wireless telegraphy which conveys or transmits any sound or visual message, rumour, report or statement, being a message, rumour, report or statement which is false in any material particular or which brings or is calculated to bring the Federal Government or the Government of a state or a public officer to ridicule or disrepute, shall be guilty of an offence under this Decree.

It shall be an offence under this Decree for a newspaper or wireless telegraphy station in Nigeria to publish or transmit any message, rumour, report or statement which is false in any material particular stating that any public officer has in any manner been engaged in corrupt practices or has in any manner comiptly enriched himself or any other person {Gazette, 1984).

The law also conferred on the Head of State the power to ban a newspaper and to revoke the license of a wireless telegraph station in any part of the federation if such action was construed to be in the interest of the nation.

Section 2, sub-sections (i) and (ii) of the law provided that:

Where the Head of the Federal Military Government is satisfied that the unrestricted circulation in Nigeria of a newspaper is or may be detrimental to the interest of the federation or any part thereof, he may by order published in the Gazette, prohibit the circulation in the federation or in any part thereof, as the case may require, of that newspaper; and, unless any other period is prescribed in the code, the prohibition shall continue for a period of twelve months unless sooner revoked or extended, as the case may require.

Where the Head of the Federal Military Government is satisfied that the unrestricted existence in Nigeria of any wireless telegraphy station is detrimental to the interest of the federation or any part thereof, he may by an order published in the Gazette (a) revoke the license to such wireless telegraphy station under the provisions of the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1961; or (b) order the closure or forfeiture to the Federal Military Government, as the case may be, of the wireless telegraphy station concerned (Gazette 1984).

[size=18pt]Decree 4 Convictions could NOT be appealed [/size]

The law also provided that offending journalists and publishers be tried by a military tribunal composed of three members of the armed forces and a serving or retired High Court judge. The tribunal's ruling could not be appealed in any court. Section 8 of the press law specified punishments for offenders, and provided for a prison term of up to two years without the option of a fine. In the case of news media corporations, the decree provided for a fine of not less than 10,000 naira (Ogbondah, 1986).

[size=18pt]Rationale behind Decree 4[/size]

What was the motive of Decree No. 4? Why was such a dreadful law enacted? One possible reason was to stave off adverse criticism of the government, especially criticism that could suggest that Major General Buhari, the Head of State, or any member of his cabinet was corrupt. Buhari was aware of the rumour that spread when he came to power after toppling the government of President Shehu Shagari that he was corrupt just like the civilian politicians he had overthrown. It was alleged that he corruptly enriched himself when he was a state military governor and also knew about the disappearance of 2.8 billion naira in oil revenue allegedly missing when he was the federal minister for petroleum.

Buhari's awareness of the rumour and his concern about the effect of the rumour regarding the 2.8 billion naira oil money scandal, could be seen from his reference to the scandal during his first interview as Head of State. During that interview, Buhari robustly defended his dealings as .oil minister. He said that a section of the press was merely crying wolf over the issue, and reiterated that no money was lost.
He said: "If there was no judicial inquiry in 1979 when I was in the U.S. War College, I would have been brought up and lynched because someone said that 2.8 billion naira was missing in a place I was for three and a half years, and where I quarreled with friends and everybody because they thought there was so much money, but I refused them access to it. Somebody just got up one day and said money was missing. . . But every body wanted to believe we stole that money" {National Concord, 1984).

The Head of State certainly had little or no doubt that someone might insinuate in the press that he was corrupt, especially when memories were still fresh of press insinuation that former Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed was corrupt. In that instance, a university law lecturer who was also the editor-in-chief of a news magazine, accused the former Head of State of corruptly enriching himself prior to coming to power. Major General Buhari's concern that someone might make similar insinuation in the press about him, and/or members of the cabinet, became more apparent as the fleeing politicians he deposed from office alleged that the in-coming military rulers were as corrupt as the civilians they overthrew.

[size=18pt]All documented evidence linking Buhari to any missing funds when head of the Ministry of Petroleum was thus confiscated and destroyed when he seized power from a democratically elected civilian government. [/size]

Op stop acts of drugs abuse intake it causes this kind of schizophrenia

Jazzlite:
Op stop acts of drugs abuse intake it causes this kind of schizophrenia

Is that your latest tactics? Insult any one who digs up the truth about your messiah?

Your saint Buhari is not only koworpt but a despotic hypocrite!

[size=18pt]Under intense public pressure, the Shehu Shagari government, which shortly took over thereafter from the military, set up a Senate probe which traced the money to a London Midland Bank account belonging to Buhari from where the money again got missing.[/size]

GBTYO:
[size=18pt]Under intense public pressure, the Shehu Shagari government, which shortly took over thereafter from the military, set up a Senate probe which traced the money to a London Midland Bank account belonging to Buhari from where the money again got missing.[/size]

thanks for the info GBTYO

The basic tenet of military regimes is to curb press freedom, IBB and Abacha did this. Or haven't you heard of Radio Kudirat?. So what is the basis of this post, to ridicule Buhari? Or show that you don't really know what you're saying!.

GBTYO:


Is that your latest tactics? Insult any one who digs up the truth about your messiah?

Your saint Buhari is not only koworpt but a despotic hypocrite!

If Buhari is corrupt, what about IBB and Abacha?.

joseph1832:
The basic tenet of military regimes is to curb press freedom, IBB and Abacha did this. Or haven't you heard of Radio Kudirat?. So what is the basis of this post, to ridicule Buhari? Or show that you don't really know what you're saying!.

Anything goes when in a Military dictatorship abi?


click the link above your initial post and scroll to page 17 and read for once in your life!

joseph1832:
If Buhari is corrupt, what about IBB and Abacha?.

IBB is not contesting any post.

Abacha is dead and for more reflection on Abacha and his regime refer to your messiah Buhari who happened to serve under Abacha and saw that regime as not corrupt in spite of all contrary evidence of remitted stolen Abacha loot, your General still considers the Abacha regime clean.

Buhari, in his own comments yesterday, described the allegations of looting against Abacha as “baseless”, because according to him, “ten years after Abacha, those allegations remain unproven because of lack of facts”.

GBTYO:


Anything goes when in a Military dictatorship abi?


click the link above your initial post and scroll to page 17 and read for once in your life!

Blah blah blah!. I believe what I see. I tell you I was very much around when Buhari was H.O.S and I know what I saw okay. Not all this half baked lies you spew just to discredit the man.

joseph1832:
Blah blah blah!. I believe what I see. I tell you I was very much around when Buhari was H.O.S and I know what I saw okay. Not all this half baked lies you spew just to discredit the man.

If you could not be aware back then, then you will remain blind for the rest of your life.

Facts can not replace whatever sentiments or belief system you hold for this man for you are a Buhari Fanatic

GBTYO:


If you could not be aware back then, then you will remain blind for the rest of your life.

Facts can not replace whatever sentiments or belief system you hold for this man for you are a Buhari Fanatic

And if you can not be aware that GEJ is inept, irresponsive and irresponsible, then you can never be aware of anything in this life or the next!.

Mahdi Buhari,
You can run but you cannot hide.
You cannot hide from our 1975 missing $2.8 billion!
You will vomit the money.
You cannot do coup!
There is no Domkat Bali that you can deceive again.
We are going to seize your 150 cows and give it to almajiri for dinner!
- cramjones

joseph1832:
And if you can not be aware that GEJ is inept, irresponsive and irresponsible, then you can never be aware of anything in this life or the next!.

Who is holding brief for Jonathan? Who is advocating for Jonathan?

It is all about your hypocrite messiah and how he stole 2.8 billion pounds in 1978 and then turned around to overthrow a democratically elected civilian govt on the excuse of "koworption" only for him to later on promulgate draconian decrees to prevent his role in embezzling public funds BEING EXPOSED

This is your Messiah. Your Fuehrer.

The man that you see fit to lead you in this millennium 30 yrs after he was booted out of office .

THERE'S ARREST,CONFISCATION AND DETENTIONS OF JOURNALISTS AND JOURNALS MATERIALS BY THIS ADMINISTRATION.DEMOCRATIC FOR THAT MATTER.

GBTYO:


Who is holding brief for Jonathan? Who is advocating for Jonathan?

It is all about your hypocrite messiah and how he stole 2.8 billion pounds in 1978 and then turned around to overthrow a democratically elected civilian govt on the excuse of "koworption" only for him to later on promulgate draconian decrees to prevent his role in embezzling public funds.

This is your Messiah. Your Fuehrer.

The man that you see fit to lead you in this millennium 30 yrs after he was booted out of office .

Shove it nimrod!!.

joseph1832:
Shove it nimrod!!.

end it already

GBTYO:


Is that your latest tactics? Insult any one who digs up the truth about your messiah?

Your saint Buhari is not only koworpt but a despotic hypocrite!

I'm sure you have problem with comprehension. Didn't you read where it's stated that anybody that publishes FALSE information . . .?

OrlandoOwoh:

I'm sure you have problem with comprehension. Didn't you read where it's stated that anybody that publishes FALSE information . . .?

And only a special military tribunal can determine the authenticity of whatever information is published.

Are you people this daft?

GBTYO:


IBB is not contesting any post.

Abacha is dead and for more reflection on Abacha and his regime refer to your messiah Buhari who happened to serve under Abacha and saw that regime as not corrupt in spite of all contrary evidence of remitted stolen Abacha loot, your General still considers the Abacha regime clean.

Anonimi, the way you go about saying Buhari served under Abacha makes it look as if he served as a governor or a member of his Provincial Ruling Council, that formulated policies. For your information, PTF which Buhari chaired was just a parastatal just like SURE-P that a reputable Christopher Kolade chaired under the corrupt government of Jonathan. Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, another reputable Nigeria has chaired parastatals under different corrupt PDP government.

GBTYO:


And only a special military tribunal can determine the authenticity of whatever information is published.

Are you people this daft?

Drugs @ work....

OrlandoOwoh:

Anonimi, the way you go about saying Buhari served under Abacha makes it look as if he served as a governor or a member of his Provincial Ruling Council, that formulated policies. For your information, PTF which Buhari chaired was just a parastatal just like SURE-P that a reputable Christopher Kolade chaired under the corrupt government of Jonathan. Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, another reputable Nigeria has chaired parastatals under different corrupt PDP government.

How foolish can you be?

The Supreme Military Council headed by Abacha was the highest decision making body in the land.

Buhari was not even considered for such membership as being a member meant being an active senior Military officer.

Your Buhari was down the rung of administration which shows how low and desperate he was to have accepted an appointment under his junior and same military officer that was active in his booting out of Dondon Barracks.

Your Buhari is a desperate man.

GBTYO:


And only a special military tribunal can determine the authenticity of whatever information is published.

Are you people this daft?

Shut up! Didn't Gen. Chris Kolade's boys that couldn't dislodge Boko Haram seized the newspapers of some newspaper companies in their offices, airports and among vendors in this "democratic" era of Jonathan? Was Channels not shut down because of a story on Yar'Adua sickness it aired?

Jazzlite:


Drugs @ work....

Ignorance on display

GBTYO:


How foolish can you be?

The Supreme Military Council headed by Abacha was the highest decision making body in the land.

Buhari was not even considered for such membership as being a member meant being an active senior Military officer.

Your Buhari was down the rung of administration which shows how low and desperate he was to have accepted an appointment under his junior and same military officer that was active in his booting out of Dondon Barracks.

Your Buhari is a desperate man.

I now know your problem, you lack comprehension.

OrlandoOwoh:

Shut up! Didn't Gen. Chris Kolade's boys that couldn't dislodge Boko Haram seized the newspapers of some newspaper companies in their offices, airports and among vendors in this "democratic" era of Jonathan? Was Channels not shut down because of a story on Yar'Adua sickness it aired?

Why are you resorting to comparisons to defend your despotic general?

Do you think that this will vindicate him for his past despotic decrees and ruling?

You must be a Muslim. Because any time a muslim is confronted about their religion's affinity to violence you guys will resort to using Biblical verses of violence to absolve yourselves.

What ever rubbish you can drum up against this current administration is out of line in defending your despotic general and as such I rule you out of order.

OrlandoOwoh:

I now know your problem, you lack comprehension.

I know your problem. You lack common sense!