Media
Rights Agenda Asks President Obasanjo To Constitute Governing Bodies Of
Regulatory Agencies
Lagos, Wednesday, February 2, 2000:
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has written to President Olusegun Obasanjo,
asking him to take urgent steps to constitute the governing bodies of two
Federal Government regulatory agencies for the media in accordance with
the enabling laws of the Commissions.
The agencies are the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
In two separate letters signed by MRA’s Legal Officer,
Adeola Ademola, and sent to President Obasanjo on January 18 and 21, 2000,
MRA complained that the management of the Commissions was being conducted
in a manner, which violates the clear provisions of their enabling
Decrees.
In the first letter dated January 18, 2000 MRA noted that
the mandatory provisions of Section 3(1) of the National Broadcasting
Commission Decree No. 38 of 1992 as amended by Decree No. 55 of 1999,
provides for a Commission made up of a Chairman, a Director-General and 10
other members to represent various interests.
It said the present situation where an Acting
Director-General runs the NBC in the absence of a properly constituted
governing body as provided for by Decree No. 38 of 1992 was illegal as it
violates the mandatory provisions of the Decree and undermines the
independence of the Commission.
MRA said it was concerned that despite the recent
appointment of an Acting Director-General for the NBC, the President
neglected to constitute a governing body for the Commission pursuant to
Section 3(1) of Decree No. 38 of 1992, with the result that there has been
a perpetuation of the illegality which has characterized the operation of
the Commission since its establishment.
In its second letter dated January 21, MRA similarly
complained that although Section 3(1) of the Nigerian Communications
Commission Decree No. 75 of 1992 as amended by Decree No. 30 of 1998
provides for a governing body for the Commission made up of a chairman, an
executive vice chairman, and eight other full-time or part-time
commissioners with experience in various fields, this essential provision
of the Decree had not been complied with.
MRA argued that the overall performance of the Commission
was being undermined by the absence of a broad-based membership of the
Commission as provided for in its enabling statute and requested the
President to take urgent steps to perform his statutory functions and
ensure compliance with the provisions of the law.
Contact:
Tive Denedo
Director of Campaigns
Media Rights Agenda
Tel: 01-4936033, 4936034
Fax: 01-4930831
E-mail:
mra@mediarightsagenda.org |
