By John Ikani
The House of Representatives has agreed to suspend the Nigeria Press Council (NPC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Amendment Bill.
This was made known by the sponsor of the bill Segun Odebunmi, on Tuesday while appearing on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily.
Odebunmi, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Information, National Orientation Ethics and Values explained that the suspension is to allow for proper consultations over the Bill.
“We have been on this process for a while and right now, we have suspended it for more consultation to happen on it,” he said.
What you should know
The suspension comes after the Bill was widely criticised by Nigerians, mostly media operators who believe it is aimed at stifling its operations.
Several newspapers in Nigeria on Monday published an advertorial against media regulation Bills being considered at the National Assembly.
With a bold headline titled, “Information Blackout,” the advertorial said the NPC and NBC (Media) Act Amendment Bills being considered by Federal lawmakers was geared against the right of citizens to access information.
“It’s not just against the media,” the advertorial said. “It is about society’s right to know, your right to be heard.”
The sponsor of the bill had earlier faulted claims that the Bill was targeted at gagging the media.
He rather maintained that it is aimed at removing identified hindrances to optimum performance.
Also reacting to criticism against the bill, Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, accused the media of waging an emotional blackmail war against the National Assembly.
He said: “It does not just suffice to come up with graphics and try to do scaremongering. They (media) have not demonstrated empirically how the Bills would gag information in Nigeria.
“Democracy is a market of ideas. So anybody that has a contrary view should express it in a way to convince other people as to the rightness of his own position.
“If they want to canvas against the legislation, they should come up with a concrete argument pointing out relevant obnoxious provisions, if any, and the reasons why they are obnoxious.
“You cannot just make a banner graphic and say that is the basis to engage a national Legislature. At the best, it is just emotional blackmail.”
