Will Press Council Bill enhance or kill the media? Mustapha Temidayo
The Nigeria Press Council amendment bill was supposed to strengthen the council to reposition the Nigerian Media. But a study of the bill reveals a lot of hidden clauses that will rather impact on media practice in the country negatively. TONY AKOWE and NICHOLAS KALU report.
The Nigeria Press Council was established as a regulatory agency for the profession. The body was championed by media owners before it was taken over by the government. An attempt to amend the Press Council bill is now generating controversy.
The bill titled “A Bill for an Act to amend the Nigeria Press Council Act CAP N128, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1992 to resolve bottlenecks affecting the performance and make the Council in tune with the current realities in regulating Press and for related matters” is sponsored by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, Seg