Allow freedom of speech, Nigerian press urges Reps

The Nigerian media industry has called on the House of Representatives to step down a bill seeking to amend the Nigerian Press Council Act, saying it is still a subject of litigation at the Supreme Court.

This message was given by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which covers the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), at the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values organised public hearing on the bill. The House, however, insisted on going ahead with the exercise.

In recent time, several media organisations and groups have criticised various clauses in the bill as possibly discouraging Freedom of Speech in the country.

The committee had organised the hearing on five bills that include the ‘Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigerian Press Council Act, CAP N128, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to Remove Bottlenecks Affecting Its Performance and Make the Council in Tune with Current Realities in Regulating the Press and for Related Matters (HB 330).’

Olusegun Odebunmi, chairman of the committee, apologised to the Nigerian media, especially NPAN that protested on Wednesday over exclusion from the exercise, saying an open invitation to the event was extended to all stakeholders.

Odebunmi said, “So, I am sorry if there is anybody who thinks we did not invite them. It is not by intention; it was definitely a mistake. Notwithstanding, we have covered everybody through our advert.”
However, Azubuike Ishiekwene, editor-in-chief of Leadership Newspapers, who represented the NPO, said contrary to the claim of an open invitation by the committee, the organisation did not receive any notification that would have enabled it engage the lawmakers and Nigerians robustly on the bill.