..Flays re-arraignment of Leadership journalists
The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has raised the
alarm over plan by the Federal Government to re-introduce the moribund
Press Council. In a communique, issued
at the end of its meeting, held on Tuesday, the newspapers proprietors
noted that the existence of Press Council ran contrary to the spirit of
democratic governance.
According to the association, the Press
Council had been declared unconstitutional by a competent court of law
as it was used mainly by military junta to gag the free flow of
information and press freedom.
The statement, signed by NPAN’s
president, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, also frowned at the re-opening of the
trial of the two journalists of Leadership newspapers after the Federal
Government had withdrawn the case against them and their company.
Parts of the communique ran thus: “The association notes with concern,
that there is a clandestine move to revive the moribund Press Council,
which is usually an official tool to gag the press. During past military
dictatorships, unsuccessful attempts were made to use the Council
against press freedom.
“Since we have a democratically elected
government in place over the last 14 years and counting, we do not
expect our elected leaders to follow the tried and failed tactics of
past dictatorships in Nigeria.
“Recent moves by some undemocratic
elements in the Federal Government indicate that there are still persons
in the government who will rather not have a free and fair press but
prefer to take steps to abridge the freedom of the press and the right
of the people to have unfettered access to information.
“The NPAN
particularly views with concern, the surreptitious move by these
officials to bring back through the back door, the Nigerian Press
Council, which a court of competent jurisdiction had declared
unconstitutional three years ago.”
NPAN stated that Justice A.M.
Liman of the Federal High Court, Lagos had described the Press Council
as unconstitutional in his ruling of February 25, 2010 in the suit No
FHC/L/CS/1324, filed by NPAN against the President, the Attorney-General
of the Federation, the Minister of Information and the National
Assembly.
“We call on the Federal Government to respect the reasoned
judgment on The Press Council and help deepen our democracy by
encouraging the full and complete implementation of The Freedom of
Information Act signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan himself
in a signal to the nation and the world that he would run an open
government anchored on a free press,” the communique added.
On the
re-opening of the case against Leadership journalists, NPAN said such
action would be ‘inconsistent with the spirit of our collective
democratic journey and unhelpful in the circumstances.’
Source: Sun
