ARTICLE 19 and Media
Rights Agenda Ask Govt. to Repeal Decree 60
Wednesday, August 11, 1999:
The London-based free expression group, ARTICLE 19 (the International
Centre Against Censorship), and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today expressed
concern about the Nigerian Press Council (Amendment) Decree No. 60 of
1999, describing it as a recipe for conflict between the Government and
the media.
In three letters written jointly by both organizations and
sent to three key government officials, they argued that the decree, in a
number of important respects, violates the constitutional guarantee of the
right to freedom of expression in Nigeria’s new Constitution as well as
regional and international standards with regard to freedom of expression,
including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The letters, signed by ARTICLE 19’s Executive Director, Mr.
Andrew Puddephatt, and the Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, Mr.
Edetaen Ojo, were sent this morning to the Minister of Information and
Culture, Chief Dapo Sarumi; Senate President, Chief Evan Enwerem; and the
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu.
ARTICLE 19 and Media Rights Agenda noted in the letters
that under the decree, a parting gift from the military administration of
General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Nigerian Press Council has been given
the power to register newspapers and impose heavy sanctions upon the
proprietor or publisher if it fails to do so, a power which formerly
belonged to the discredited Newspapers Registration Board, which was
abolished by the Newspapers (Repeal) Decree No. 57 of 1999.
They argued that whilst newspaper registration procedures
are not in themselves a violation of the right to freedom of expression,
provided they are purely technical and administrative in nature and do not
involve prohibitively costly deposits, the requirements set out in Decree
No. 60 will undoubtedly have a chilling effect upon media freedom if fully
applied.
Noting that the Newspapers Registration Board was never
able to implement or enforce newspaper registration requirements because
the Board was so discredited, ARTICLE 19 and Media Rights Agenda said it
appeared that the Nigerian Press Council has now inherited that poisoned
chalice.
Besides, ARTICLE 19 and Media Rights Agenda observed,
Decree No. 60 reconfirms the involvement of the Nigerian Press Council,
established under the Nigerian Press Council Decree No. 85 of 1992, in the
registration of journalists.
They said: “As we have stated in the past, we believe that
there are no good grounds in any circumstances for official involvement in
the registration of journalists. It creates considerable scope for
politically motivated action by the authorities. This should be a matter
for self-regulation by journalists through their professional
organizations. Further, the requirement for compulsory registration
constitutes an additional restriction upon media freedom.”
ARTICLE 19 and Media Rights Agenda therefore asked Chief
Sarumi to undertake to see “that these decrees are not implemented and an
urgent review of them is initiated” adding that “In our opinion, statutory
regulation of the press – except insofar as it is restricted to technical
and administrative requirements – is a hornet’s nest for governments.”
The two organizations also asked Chief Enwerem and Alhaji
Mantu to use their influence to ensure that Decree No. 60, together with
Decree No. 85 of 1992, come within the ambit of the existing laws which
Chief Enwerem announced earlier in the month will be reviewed by the
Senate Committee on Information.
They urged the government to “have the courage to break
with the past by abandoning efforts to regulate the press by statute and
leave it to the journalistic profession to establish an effective and
credible regime of self-regulation” based on the principles contained in
the Ota Platform of Action on Media Law Reform of 18 March 1999, which
both organizations have submitted to the government for its consideration.
To do so, ARTICLE 19 and Media Rights Agenda said, “would
be an act of faith in the future of Nigeria as a democracy in which
freedom of expression is respected and promoted.”
For further information, please contact:
Tive
Denedo OR
Ilana Cravitz
Director of
Campaigns
Press Officer
Media Rights
Agenda ARTICLE
19
44, Alhaja Kofoworola
Crescent 33, Islington High
Street
Off Obafemi Awolowo
Way London N1 9LH
Ikeja,
Lagos
Tel: +44 0207 278 9292
Tel. & Fax: 234-1-4930831
Fax: +44 207 713 1356
E-mail: mra@mra.org
E-mail:
ilana@article19.org
|
