Media
Rights Agenda Asks Federal Government To Constitute Governing Bodies Of
Its Media Establishments
Lagos, Thursday, January 27, 2000:
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has written to President Olusegun Obasanjo and
Information Minister, Chief Dapo Sarumi, asking them to take urgent steps
to constitute the governing bodies of four media establishments in
accordance with the enabling laws of the organizations.
The media establishments are the Nigerian Television
Authority (NTA), the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN), and the Voice of Nigeria (VON).
In four separate letters sent to President Obasanjo and
Chief Sarumi between January 17 and 20, 2000, MRA noted that the present
situation whereby each of the organizations was being run by a
Director-General in the absence of a properly constituted governing body
as provided in their enabling laws was illegal as it violates the
mandatory provisions of the laws and undermines the independence and
diversity of outlook of the organizations.
Three letters were sent to President Obasanjo over the
cases of the NTA, NAN, and VON, while the fourth was sent to Chief Sarumi
over the FRCN.
In the first letter dated January 17, 2000 MRA said it was
writing to President Obasanjo in his capacity as the Chairman of the
Federal Executive Council, the successor to the National Council of
Ministers.
It noted that the mandatory provisions of Section 2(1) of
the Nigerian Television Authority Act provides for the appointment by the
National Council of Ministers on the recommendation of the Minister of
Information, of members of the governing body.
In its second letter to President Obasanjo, dated January
19, 2000, MRA complained that NAN was being run without a Board of
Directors in violation of the clear provisions of Section 3(1) of the News
Agency of Nigeria Act as amended by Section 3 of the News Agency of
Nigeria (Amendment) Decree No. 87 of 1992. It asked the President to
perform his statutory function under Sections 3(a) and 4(a)(2) of Decree
No. 87 of 1992 by appointing the Chairman and members of the Board.
MRA’s third letter, dated January 20, 2000, similarly
complained about the management of VON without its governing body being
constituted by the President as required by Section 2 of the Voice of
Nigeria Decree No. 15 of 1991.
The fourth letter, dated January 17, 2000 and addressed to
Chief Sarumi, drew the Minister’s attention to the “grave lapse” in the
operations of the FRCN saying that although he had responsibility under
the mandatory provisions of Section 2(1) of the Federal Radio Corporation
of Nigeria Act to appoint members of the governing body for the
corporation, FRCN was being run without such a body.
In the four letters which were also copied the
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Godwin
Kanu Agabi (SAN), MRA said it was concerned that despite the recent
appointment of a Director-General for each of the media establishments,
the President and the Information Minister had neglected to appoint
members of the governing bodies with the result that there has been a
perpetuation of the illegality.
It asked them to take urgent steps to perform their
statutory functions and ensure compliance with the provisions of the law.
Contact:
Ademoyewa Johnson
Campaigns Officer
Media Rights Agenda
Tel: 01-4936033, 4936034
Fax: 01-4930831
E-mail:
mra@mediarightsagenda.org
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