Media practitioners advocate press freedom inclusion in constitution
The media came up with these resolutions after series of painstaking deliberations by media network on the review of the 1999 constitution. The media network is made up of The Nigeria Institute of Journalism [NIJ], The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria [BON], The International Press Centre [IPC], Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria Guild of Editors, National Association […]
The media came up with these resolutions after series of painstaking deliberations by media network on the review of the 1999 constitution. The media network is made up of The Nigeria Institute of Journalism [NIJ], The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria [BON], The International Press Centre [IPC], Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria Guild of Editors, National Association of Women Journalists [NAWOJ] and Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
Media practitioners have therefore been mandated to sensitize itself and other stakeholders in the society to mobilize support for the inclusion of the media proposals in the constitution. The practitioners were grouped into the six zones of the country for the project.
Media practitioners from the South- South zone last week gathered in Calabar , the Cross Rivers State capital for a sensitization workshop on the inclusion of the media demand in the constitution.
The sensitization workshop which was sponsored by the Democratic Governance for Development Project an arm of the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] brought media practitioners, civil society organizations, youth organizations and women groups together to articulate ways of making the proposals acceptable to members of the National Assembly on the review of the 1999 constitution and the public in general.
The media networks seeks amendments to the relevant sections of the 1999 constitution in order to improve and strengthen the provisions relating to press/media freedom and independence, access to information and independence of the regulatory institutions. It is expected that the envisaged amendments will not only enhance the country’s democratic process but ensure that the country shares desired companionship with enlarging group of nations that have embraced the necessity to provide constitutional back up to the right of freedom of expression encompassing related media freedoms.
The amendments the media network has proposed for in the constitution amendment include: The constitutional recognition for media/press freedom; Relocation of the Media’s Governance Monitoring Function; Constitutional Guarantee of the Rights of Access to Information; Exclusion of Presidential Participation in Broadcast Media Licensing; Constitutional Recognition for Broadcast Regulatory Body; and the Repositioning the Responsibility for License Fee Collection and Management.
Media practitioners especially journalists were asked to give adequate publicity to the memorandum using their various media organisations. They are also expected to reach out to different stakeholders in their respective states and zone to mobilize support for the memorandum. Some of the identified stakeholders included members of the National Assembly especially members of the constitution review committee in their respective zones, members of the state houses of Assembly in the states, Commissioners of Information, Traditional Institutions, Opinion leaders in the various zones, Civil Society Organisations, Faith based Organisations, Youth groups, Women groups among others.