Chairman NPAN, Nduka Obaigbena Photo
The Nigerian Press Organization and the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria have urged the Nigerian Senate to drop the proposed Nigerian Press Council Bill 2018, labelling it as unconstitutional.
The NPO comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) as well as other media stakeholders held a meeting on Thursday to deliberate on The Nigerian Press Council Bill 2018.
The NPO and the BON also alleged that the bill aimed to criminalise journalism practice and incapacitate the media.
The organizations added that the bill should be rejected until the outcome of a similar case in the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The meeting thoroughly studied the provisions of the proposed bill in the context of its implication for free speech, press freedom, media independence, the safety of journalists and the right to operate as a business in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In a statement released by the bodies, the meeting also took notice of the fact that a lawsuit instituted by the NPO on the same subject matter of the bill was pending at the Supreme Court.
The statement was signed by the President, Nigerian Press Organization, Nduka Obaigbena; President, Nigeria Guild of Editors, Funke Egbemode; President, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Waheed Odusile; and Chairman, Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria, John Momoh.
The statement read, “The proposed bill is unconstitutional as it runs against the principles and tenets of the rule of law and is actually subjudice given that a case on the subject matter is still pending in the highest court of the land – the Supreme Court – in view of which the bill should not have been drafted in the first instance.”