Information Blackout: Controversial press bill suspended

 

The sponsor of the controversial Nigeria Press Council and the National Broadcasting Commission Amendment Bill, Segun Odebunmi, representing Ogo Oluwa/Surulere Federal Constituency of Oyo State in the House of Representatives, said the bill has been suspended.

Odebunmi, who is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Information National Orientation Ethics and Values, said the bill was suspended for more consultation.

The disclosure came a day after the front pages of major newspapers in Nigeria were emblazoned with an artistic image of a human head with gagged mouth.

Accompanying the image is an inscription, “Information Blackout …It’s not just against the media…it’s about society’s right to know, your right to be heard.”

The message was jointly released by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigerian Guild of Editors and Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria against the bill aimed at gagging the media.

READ: National Assembly embarks on quasi censorship of the Media

While appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Odebunmi said, “We have suspended the process for more consultation to happen on it. They demanded a lot of time and I said ‘no problem, we have given you; even if you spend three, four to five weeks’. So far, more consultations from critical stakeholders, and many people have been submitting their memoranda to the national assembly even within the industry.

“My intention is not to gag the press, and unless all the practitioners can say all is well with the industry, to the best of my knowledge I know all is not well. And I know the National Assembly has the power to look into the existing act.

“All is not well with the NPC agency. It is an agency of government, and you’re expecting something to be given back to the society, but until now nothing has been coming from the agency.”