Persecuted Nigerian Journalist & Publisher Needs Our Help

Nnamdi’s life was going so well until a news reportage from his media outlet set his life on a different trajectory, one that has left him in a mess. Now he needs our support for a fresh start.

America’s founding founder and third president, Thomas Jefferson once said "our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost”. This simply means that freedom of the press is intangible and non-negotiable asset to any nation that prides itself to be a democracy. Unfortunately for Nigerian journalists, this hasn’t been the case as there has been an age-long tradition of press-gagging and violence towards journalists who exposed the criminality, corruption, and other inadequacies of politicians and public office holders. Journalists have been killed, mysteriously disappeared, arrested and tortured by the state for simply doing their job.

NNAMDI’S STORY:

In December 2021, Nnamdi decided to fulfil his lifelong dream of being a publisher with the primary aim of cleansing the Nigerian & African media space which had for a long time been highly polarised politically and used as propaganda machinery, and so in April 2022 Nnamdi launched an independent news channel, Reportera News.

The emergence of this channel coincided with pre-election discussions ahead of Nigeria’s February 2023 presidential & general elections, and there was a need for credible and independent journalism devoid of political manipulations, one which Nnamdi was keen on bridging. Reeling out stats backed by properly researched data week after week, Nnamdi’s platform published independent polls that predicted the outcome of the elections and further insights on voter demographics, one that didn’t favour the ruling party. It quickly rose through the ranks to be one of the most sought after channels, especially amongst young Nigerians on social media who needed a trusted go-to place for verified news.

In hindsight, this was the beginning of the problems Nnamdi would eventually encounter.

TROUBLE BEGINS:

On August 6th 2023, Nnamdi’s channel reported on a viral news regarding the 2023 presidential election tribunal that prompted Nigerian authorities to go after him and his organization unlawfully; this culminated in the abduction and almost 3 months detention of his brother who had nothing to do with his organization. Fearing for his life, Nnamdi fled the country.

A NEW START:

Nnamdi gave his life to see that there was sanctity and sanity in journalism which had been captured by the state. Journalism is if not the riskiest, then one of the riskiest jobs to do in Nigeria, yet he went in with a firm purpose and resolve to liberate the people shackled in misinformation and government sponsored propaganda. He almost paid for it with his life, but he luckily escaped. Nnamdi now needs our support so that he can resettle into where he now calls home, albeit temporarily until the new Nigeria that he and other well-meaning Nigerians desperately seek is birthed through our sheer collective will. Life in a new country usually has a rough start, and Nnamdi’s case has not been any different, in fact, it has been extremely tough for Nnamdi who was thrown into this life unprepared.

The past year has been a very challenging time for Nnamdi and now he needs our support to have a fresh start and continue his career in a country where he can’t be harassed, hunted or even killed by the government for simply doing his job.

Your donations will help Nnamdi with accommodation and welfare until he gets proper documentation to live and work where he now calls his ‘new home’.