The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) is alarmed at a press statement by Mr Tony Nwulu wherein he reiterated earlier threats made against our member and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of OrderPaper Nigeria, Mr Oke Epia.
Mr Nwulu’s bogus and baseless tagging of Mr Epia as a politician and not a journalist is ridiculous. It exposes Mr Nwulu as one on a sinister scheme to further harass, blackmail, intimidate and muzzle the media with the sole aim of preventing the media from performing its legal and constitutional duties of holding public officials to account.
For the record, Mr Epia is one of Nigeria’s notable journalists of his generation with several remarkable contributions in investigative in journalism and growth and development of the media. The OrderPaper Nigeria platform Mr Epia founded and is currently managing is making its mark already in daily reportage and engagement with the legislature, especially the National Assembly of Nigeria.
The fact that a journalist took leave of office at a time in his career to serve in public office in a professional capacity and thereafter returned to the newsroom after his tour of duty does not make him a politician, or any less a journalist. Therefore, the coalition views Mr Nwulu’s claim that Mr Epia is a politician and not a journalist as a subtle underground plot for possible molestation and attacks from political operatives and thugs in furtherance of the former lawmaker’s interests. We call on the police and other law enforcement authorities to take note of this dangerous dimension to Mr Nwulu’s attack on the media and journalists and further state that should anything untoward happen to Mr Epia and his colleagues at OrderPaper, Mr Nwulu would be held responsible and accountable.
As stated in our earlier statement on this matter, we make this as a final warning to Mr Nwulu to desist from his ill-advised attack and harassment of the media. Since OrderPaper has said they stand by their story, Mr Nwulu is obliged to toe the decent and civilized path of proving them wrong by making the facts available to the public.
