Concerned about plethora of obnoxious and anti-media laws in the Nigeria’s law books, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has inaugurated a five-man committee to work closely with the office of Minister of Information and National Orientation, National Assembly, the Attorney-General of the Federation/Minister of Justice, and other stakeholders – aimed at starting a process of amending the laws or out rightly repealing them.
The committee members include, a pro-media rights activist and member of NGE, Richard Akinnola; a lawyer/former Editor of Punch Newspaper, Gbemiga Ogunleye; former Editor-in-Chief/Managing Director of The Guardian, Martins Oloja; Deputy Editor-In-Chief/ Chairman, Editorial Board of Daily Trust, Idris Hamza, and the General Secretary of the NGE, Dr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren.
In a statement jointly signed by the NGE President, Eze Anaba and the General Secretary, Dr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren, the professional body of editors/ media executives, said that its decision was informed by the “chilling effects” of the legislations on the nation’s democracy and press freedom.
According to the NGE: “We are concerned about the negative impact of these plethora of obnoxious laws; some of them were enacted by the colonial government, which today are undermining accountability and transparency at all levels of government.
Anti-media laws can make it more difficult for journalists to hold those in power accountable, allowing corruption and abuse of power to go unchecked.
“These anti-media laws also have the capacity to restrict the ability of Nigerians to express their opinions and participate in robust public conversation that is capable of undermining the fundamental right to free speech.’’
The Guild added that despite the existence of the Freedom of Information Act in the country’s statutory book, anti-media laws have hugely limited access to information, thereby making it challenging for Nigerians to make informed decisions and participate in the democratic process.
The Guild explained that to further avoid damage to nation’s democratic culture and values, the committee is expected to engage the Minister of Information/National Orientation, the National Assembly and other stakeholders in identifying those laws with the aim of addressing the threat, which the anti-media laws pose to democratic stability – as they can create an atmosphere in which authoritarianism can flourish.
