AN APPRAISAL OF PRESS FREEDOM IN NIGERIA UNDER CIVILIAN RULE (A CASE STUDY OF OLUSEGUN OBASANJO REGIME 1999 – 2004)

ABSTRACT   
This topic of research, “An Appraisal of Press  Freedom Under Civilian Rule (A case study) is a top flight, thought provoking and interestingly challenging especially in our contemporary Nigeria which has embraced democracy and has been nurturing it for five years after almost thirty years if military dictatorship or domination of political power since independence in 1960.
Since military incursion in the country’s political calendar on 14th January 1966 through a coup de-tat led by major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and four of his colleagues, it has become a recycling decimal in the country’s political history.  Throughout the successive military regimes, the press has had collusion with the rough edge of the law in the pursuit of their profession.  Thus, journalism became a dreaded career fraught with dangers as they were subjected to arrest, incarceration, harassment, threat, physical violence and assassination.
Then there came a new dawn on 29th May 1999 when the country turned to a democratic rule, journalism takes another dimension, there exists freedom of information though the freedom was not absolute.  The reason was because of the decrees from the military era that found the way into this democratic dispensation.  But there was room for media excellence and the press excels and are still excelling in fulfilling the social responsibility both to the government and the governed.
The aim of this research is to know whether the press has freedom in this present dispensation.  However, freedom of the press is possible only when the rights of the press are protected.  This can never be achieved in an autocratic set-up, except in a democratic environment as our appraisal of press freedom is such dispensation has shown.
This project was written in five (5) chapters in order of their priorities. Chapter one delves into the background of press freedom with an insight to the research question, hypothesis and significance among other.  Chapter two handles the glace and review on the information bill.  Chapter three takes care of the research methods, designs, population and data collection.  Chapter four analyses the data collected from the questionnaires distributed and chapter five treats the summary and recommendations for improvement on making press freedom to be totally absolute.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
Approval page
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Table of contents
Chapter one
Introduction
1.1    Background of study
1.2    Statement of problem
1.3    Objective of study
1.4    Significance of study
1.5    Research questions
1.6    Research hypothesis
1.7    Conceptual and operational definition of terms
1.8    Assumptions
1.9    Limitation of the study
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1    Sources of literature
2.2    The review
2.3    Summary of literature review
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1    Research Method
3.2    Research Design
3.3    Research Sample
3.4    Measuring Instrument
3.5    Data Collection
3.6    Data Analysis
3.7    Expected Results
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
4.1    Data Analysis
4.2    Result
4.3    Discussion
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER STUDY
5.1    Summary
5.2    Recommendation
Appendix
Questionnaire