Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned the cancellation of a planned presentation of a book critical of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, warning that the decision could discourage public scrutiny of government policies and restrict the space for dissenting views.
The rights organisation disclosed this on Sunday, October 11, accusing the authorities of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, of yielding to political pressure over the event scheduled for October 15 at Arewa House, Kaduna.
The book, titled Tinubu: From Renewed Hope to Despair: A Critical Examination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Government, was to be presented by the Centre for Democratic Development Research and Training (CEDDERT), Zaria.
The controversy extends beyond the cancellation itself. According to Amnesty International, the organisers encountered difficulties securing another venue after the booking was withdrawn. Hotels and event centres approached in Kaduna reportedly declined to host the programme, with some allegedly citing warnings against accommodating it.
If independently established, such restrictions would raise questions about whether a cancelled university-linked event could trigger a wider reluctance among private venues to host politically sensitive discussions. However, the circumstances behind the reported refusals have not been independently confirmed in the account released by the rights group.
Why the cancellation matters
A book examining government policies is not the same as a court finding or an official investigation. Its claims and conclusions should be assessed on their evidence. Even at that, the opportunity to present, question and challenge a publication is also part of public debate, particularly when its subject is the performance of an elected government.
Amnesty International maintained that the publication constituted legitimate intellectual engagement and posed no threat to public peace. It also warned that preventing its presentation could foster fear among citizens who wish to express critical opinions.
The organisation said, “Everything the book was already in public domain,” while challenging attempts to stop its presentation. The statement appears to refer to the material already being publicly accessible, although the report did not establish whether the book had been formally published or distributed in full.
Amnesty called on the authorities to end what it described as attacks on freedom of expression and association. It specifically asked ABU to uphold freedom of expression and demanded the immediate and unconditional reversal of the cancellation of the Arewa House booking.
The unanswered questions it
The account does not include a response from ABU or the management of Arewa House explaining why the booking was cancelled. It also provides no independent evidence identifying who allegedly warned the other venues against hosting the presentation.
Those omissions matter. Establishing whether the decision arose from administrative concerns, security considerations or political interference is necessary to assess responsibility fairly.
For Nigerians, the central issue is whether books that scrutinise those in power can be discussed openly, even when their conclusions are controversial. A democratic society does not require citizens to accept every critical publication as accurate. It requires enough freedom for its claims to be examined and contested.
The dispute now places the cancellation, the reported search for alternative venues and the demand for an explanation at the centre of a debate over how much room public institutions and private businesses provide for political criticism.
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