Attempt to gag journalists fails

At the beginning of the yesterday’s deliberation, Mahmood Aminu, a delegate representing Public Interest Lawyers Initiative, had complained about a publication in a national newspaper showing pictures of delegates sleeping during Monday’s meeting.Aminu also complained of an earlier report saying that delegates were asking for aides. He said that the reports were slanted and had […]

At the beginning of the yesterday’s deliberation, Mahmood Aminu, a delegate representing Public Interest Lawyers Initiative, had complained about a publication in a national newspaper showing pictures of delegates sleeping during Monday’s meeting.
Aminu also complained of an earlier report saying that delegates were asking for aides. He said that the reports were slanted and had ridiculed the delegates in the eyes of the public, and urged the conference to take drastic measures of reprimanding the media.
But he was countered by Yinka Odumakin, a delegate from South west, who said there should be no attempt to gag the media at the conference, and that journalists should be allowed to report what they see responsibly.
Dan Nwanyanwu, Labour Party delegate, also kicked against attempt to stop journalists from doing their job.
“We are here to do the nation’s business. If you have any reason to have a nap during plenary, the press will get you and they have a right to do their job,” he said.
A newspaper publisher, Mr Nduka Obaigbena, also demanded a section of the rules of procedure that sought to take action against journalists covering the conference on the basis of offensive reports to be expunged.
He said it was impossible and unacceptable to “ask journalists to report or not report what we do not like.” His position was accepted and the provision was expunged.
Also, Musa Elayo Abdullahi, a delegate from the House of Representatives Forum, raised another point saying the conference should initiate closed-door sessions.
He argued that “it is not everything we should be discussing before the camera. We shouldn’t be discussing any issue before camera so that we don’t ridicule ourselves. There are secret issues that need not be discussed before journalists. Some of these issues may border on national security.”
But Abdullahi’s proposal was rejected.