Nigeria Blocking Foreign Journalists From Covering Elections

Some foreign journalists looking to cover Nigeria's forthcoming elections have claimed that the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs is frustrating their attempts to procure a visa in time for the polls due on February 14.

On February 14, Nigeria will hold presidential, Senate and House of Representatives elections, while on February 28, voters will elect State Governors and members of their State Houses of Assembly. 

To ensure the polls are free and fair, the European Union is sending 90 election observers to Nigeria, while the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is sending a 250-member strong team.

However, some foreign journalists say they are finding it difficult to obtain visas. Geoffrey York, an Africa correspondent for The Globe and Mail, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has claimed that foreign journalists are being blocked from getting visas to cover the elections by the foreign ministry.

Mr York said: "At Nigeria's information ministry, bored officials show no interest in helping journalists enter and are demanding security clearance from intelligence. Nigeria allowed many foreign journalists to cover #BringBackOurGirls last year but is now blocking at least 40 journalists from covering the election."

Despite the problems journalists are facing, the European Union Election Observation Mission has been in Nigeria since November 2014 and observed the various party primaries and other aspects of the electoral process. ECOWAS too already has a team on the ground having sent a 12-member Long-Term Election Observation Mission on January 22.