Buhari Not Behind Proposed Amendment Of Press Council Bill – Presidency

The presidency has disassociated Muhammadu Buhari from move to tinker with the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) act, saying the proposed amendment is not the brainchild of the president and he’s nothing to do with it.

The bill, which seeks to abrogate and re-enact the NPC act, was considered at a public hearing organised by the house of representatives committee on information, national orientation, ethics and values.

The bill has been vehemently opposed by media stakeholders, they described the proposed amendment of some provisions unconstitutional

The move has also received pushback from civil society and many citizens who averred that it is an attempt to suppress dissent and freedom of speech.

Azu Ishiekwene, a member of the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) — the NPO covers the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN); Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) — had said almost half of the 39 clauses in the bill contained unconstitutional regulations capable of stifling journalism practice.

Ishiekwene said the NPO had challenged the clauses up to the supreme court, and that continuing with the amendment would amount to preempting the court on the matter.

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But Femi Adesina, senior adviser to the president on media and publicity, says Buhari “has nothing to do” with the plan to amend the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) act

Adesina disclosed this while addressing  state house correspondents after the weekly meeting of the federal executive council (FEC) on Wednesday, in Abuja.

He said the proposed amendment is a federal government initiative, and as such, only the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, can address it.

“That is not strictly a presidency thing because the president has nothing to do with that. It’s a government thing and it’s the minister that can talk about it. So, thank you,” he said.

On the ECOWAS court ruling regarding the prosecution of violators of the ban on Twitter, Adesina said Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, will study the report and advise the federal government on what to do.

“The attorney-general of the federation is going to study that report, and then he’ll advise the government on the way forward,” he said.

“The committee set up by the president to engage with Twitter is actually holding a meeting about now, or it will hold a meeting this afternoon (Wednesday) towards engaging with Twitter.”

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