Abstract: Before 1999, Nigeria had had intermittent democratic process, with the military controlling the administrative machinery of the country for a greater part of her existence. In each of the regimes, mass media played a significant part. Since 1999, print media ownership has been predominantly in the hands of private citizens. While the government at the center does not own any print medium, the few which are owned by the state have limited circulation and are mainly public relations organs of the owner-states. The ownership monopoly of broadcast media, which hitherto was that of governments, has been broken. Thus, media ownership may have contributed to media participation in the ongoing democratic process in the country. This article examines the level of media participation in the democratic process in Nigeria between 1999 and 2011, given the use of the media in enhancing the relevance of the military government in the past. A step-by-step analysis of media contribution even before the advent of the current democratic dispensation is carried out. The paper argues that the media in the country have learned to be more mature and pro-democratic in their coverage of politics. If this practice endures, the trend could bring the mass media in Nigeria to a level of democratic collaboration with the political class as witnessed in model democracies in the world.