British colonial authoritarianism, African military dictatorship and the Nigerian press

The history of journalism in Nigeria has been influenced by the two major eras of British colonial rule (1895-1960) and indigenous military governments after independence on October 1, 1960. Both forms of governments enacted press laws at various periods in Nigeria's journalism history. This study compares and contrasts the variables that shaped the laws enacted by both the British colonial and the post-independence military governments, the intended overt and covert objectives of those laws and the reactions of the indigenous people.