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National Assembly Imposes
Stringent Conditions for Media Coverage
On July 26, 2006, Nigeria's federal legislature, the National Assembly,
outlined a series of harsh conditions to be met by media organizations
before their reporters are re-accredited to cover the activities of the
Senate and House of Representatives.
By the new conditions, the accreditation of all journalists covering the
Senate and House of Representatives have been revoked until the new
conditions are met.
The affected journalists are to present the current tax clearance
certificates of their media establishments before being accredited. They
would also have to present evidence of legal registration for their
organizations.
In a notice signed by the Director of Information and Publications of the
National Assembly, Monima Dominabo, the Legislature said: "In recent
times, instances of security breaches in the National Assembly Complex
have escalated in numbers and variety thereby calling for increased
security awareness to guarantee the safety of all and sundry, who operate
in the National Assembly. Incidentally some of these breaches have
featured miscreants who gained access into the premises, under the cover
of fronting as members of the press."
It continued: "Management appreciates the need to facilitate easy access
for all established media houses within and outside the country to cover
proceedings in the hallowed chambers of the nation's central legislature.
“However, the same management will be failing in its duty if it does not
check any untoward development that is likely to compromise the stability
and sanctity of the establishment and premises of the nation's hub of
democracy. This is because of the imperative for management to guarantee
the security of all persons and property, within the National Assembly
premises."
The notice claimed that "Understandably therefore, the fact that
miscreants have penetrated the National Assembly precincts under the cover
of the privileges granted the media, has called for re-accreditation of
the media operators here by the management. It needs to be emphasized that
this initiative enjoys merit as it promises to protect the journalists
operating here themselves. This is because with the commencement of this
programme, no person shall be admitted into the National Assembly to work
as a journalist without the due accreditation."
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