- By Halimah Olamide
Former Minister of Transport under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, Rotimi Amaechi on Tuesday said there is no difference between the experiences of Nigerians under military dictatorship and what they are experiencing now under a democratically elected government.
Amaechi, who made a brief remark at the unveiling of a book, The Catalysts, written by the former Editor of The PUNCH, Dayo Oketola, said he found it disinginous for anyone to refer to the trenches of the military era when, according to him, there is no difference between those era and what Nigerians are experiencing today.
Nigeria left military regime in 1999 after about 16 years of military interregnum with the election of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.]
The years of military administration was characterised by severe repression, human rights violations and others.
There were cases of arrests of journalist, and other pro-democracy activists.
There have been some cases of arrests under the present administration prompting many to condemn the Bola Tinubus administration of attempting to silence the opposition.
There have been arrests of journalists with the recent brief detentions of Regional Editor of The Conversation, Mr. Juwon Soyinka, the detention of the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, and others.
Many have also pointed to the arrested and trial of protesters over the end-hunger protests in the various parts of the country.
Organisations such as the Amnesty International, International Press Institute and others have demanded for reasons for arrests of journalists and other opposition elements.