By Our Reporter
Abuja – The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has criticised current attempts to regulate the media and further curb the freedom of speech.
The guild said the media industry is not a political opponent or enemy of the federal government as the administration is currently depicting.
It also said many of the political elite’s attacks on the media are “habitually not envisioned to win an argument on the values, journalistic or legal; but designed to bully media organisations”.
Draconian
It was reacting to what it described as ‘’draconian provisions’’ in the two Bills – to amend the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) Act, and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Act that are currently before the National Assembly, which the sponsors said were aimed at moderating the ‘’recklessness’’ of the media.
The Guild said that the bills are actually meant to criminalise journalism practice in the country.
In a statement issued by the umbrella of all editors in Nigeria and signed by Mustapha Isah (President) and Iyobosa Uwugiaren (General Secretary), on Tuesday, the Guild said that the ‘’oxygen of democracy’’: the media, will be strangulated if the bills are passed in their present forms.”
Part of its statement is reproduced below:
At a time there is a popular ongoing global conversation about the need for a #NewDealForJournalism’’ – for immediate and sustained action from, and collaboration between governments and other influential actors to improve the policy, funding, and enabling environment for independent professional journalism, we see the proposed legislations as unhelpful.
While we are not opposed to an Act that will promote media stakeholders-driven regulatory council, the many draconian provisions in the Hon. Odebunmi Olusegun’s sponsor bills are actually aimed at criminalising media practice in Nigeria. While the intention of the sponsor of the bills is suspicious, the bills negate all known features of media regulatory bodies in the world.
While the NPC Act. CAP N128, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1992, created by the military dictatorship, gives the Council Board full responsibility to administer the council, the proposed Act restricts the council board to ‘’advisory capacity on a part-time basis without direct interference in the day to day administration of the council’’, and gives the Executive Secretary all the power.
