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Why Media Bill is raising dust - Abike Dabiri
Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abike Dabiri speaks to THEOPHILUS ABBAH on Media and Labour Bills before the National Assembly. Excerpts:
The bill on media reform in Nigeria is still on your desk, as Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Publicity, yet it is generating some kind of controversy. What's the source of the controversy?
I don't think there should be any controversy over the bill. I tell you, it is the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) bill. But the NUJ had to send the bill through some persons in the House of Representatives who were media practitioners. It is not for me, who is the major sponsor of it, to doctor the bill. It is left for us, as media practitioners, to look at the bill by the NUJ, which is the umbrella body. NUJ is basically saying that the welfare of journalists must improve. There might be areas of controversy, which, to some extent, I agree with, but it is not for me to decide. It is for us, as media practitioners, to look at this bill and decide what we don't want and what we want.
I don't think that journalists would say that we are not supposed to report violence, armed robbery, or scandals in the country. How did such clauses get into an NUJ bill?
No. It's absolutely from the NUJ, and I agree with you that you can't stop journalists from covering violence, armed robbery and such occurrences. You see, NUJ takes that from the Press Council Code of 1998, which is actually in existence. What they did was to take a section of the code and added it to this bill. That part of it I had expunged, actually. I think it shouldn't be part of the bill at all. Basically, it is not for me to tamper with the bill. It is left to you, as journalists, to say, we don't want this or that.
We have other bodies, like the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), Nigeria Press Council (NPC), and they are all going to look at it critically and come up with their report and submission. This will now decide the next stage we will go with the bill. Beyond that part you have mentioned, there are other controversial aspects of the bill.
What are those other aspects?
Well, like the aspect that says journalists should travel round the country once a year to assess the performance of the government. I don't think that is our (journalists') job. There are a lot of things, so don't let me start giving you my views. I'm supposed to be neutral in this matter. The good aspect of the bill is that journalists should not be paid anyhow. Journalists should be insured; journalists should be guaranteed that it should be a profession one would love to practise, and other related matters. There are many sides to be bill, and like I said, we would all look at it critically.
If you have to go all the hog to do this, do you think the bill will be passed before your tenure runs out?
Time is not anything. You don't pass a bill like that. We've written all the stakeholders. We will be in Ada, Osun State this weekend and we will discuss it at the Guild of Editors conference that is taking place there. It hasn't gone for the second reading. We will have to meet with everybody concerned and we're not going to rush it. We want to get the best for journalists and we are going to get the best for journalists because we deserve the best. I think Nigeria�s media is one of the most vibrant media I have come across and we think they deserve the best.
There is another bill on access to official information in the National Assembly. To what extent do you think the bill will enhance journalists' access to what is being tagged "official secret" in government institutions?
The Freedom of Information Bill is in its final stage now. We have taken it clause by clause now, and every other thing being the same, we should be through with that in no distant future. You see, the FOI bill is not just about journalists. Let's stress that point. It's about access to information about everybody. In Canada, in South Africa and in some other places, where such bills have been in place, statistics show that the businessmen benefitted most from this access to freedom of information bill. If journalists do their work, somehow, they have a way of getting their information. As a businessman, if I want to know how a particular business went last year, if I want to do a bidding or so, I should be able to have access to such information.
The impression out here is that the National Assembly would be a rubber stamp of the Executive on this issue of Labour reform bill. How is it being received in the House of Representatives?
The National Assembly will be fair on this bill. That I can assure you. The House of Representatives will be very, very fair on this bill. I have been talking to members and there are very strong views for and against. We are going to come to the floor of the House with basic issues, but there's no way you can predict the outcome. But the majority will have their way. I can assure you that we will be very fair in debating and discussing this bill. Members of the House are very passionate about this bill. It's a bill we are all looking forward to debating, and I'm sure it will be a full house. I have my own personal views. We are not going to, at the end, disappoint the general public.
Are you worried that Labour had to go to court over this matter? Wouldn't you consider the move as a vote of no confidence on the National Assembly?
Absolutely not. I'm not worried about it at all. It is not our bill. It is an executive bill. Let Labour do everything they can to safeguard their union. But I feel that Labour should have confidence in us that we shall do the best with this Bill, because we have always been on the side of the people.
We will be talking to the people and it is the views of the majority of our people that will prevail. We haven't even taken it through any debate; we haven't even tabled it. It has just gone through the first reading. Labour should have confidence in us and be rest assured that we will do the best.
Your party, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) is sinking. So, are you going to jump into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boat?
My party is not sinking. We have our problems, just like PDP has its problems. Our party is not sinking. A lot of work is being done. We have been having sleepless nights to ensure that the problems in the AD are solved. There is a lot of work going on; there are a lot of meetings going on. We are having sleepless nights over this and I believe that we will reach a conclusion.
Are you one of those who believe that PDP is the cause of your problems?
Many things could cause the problems, but all I know is that, whether it is extraneous or internal, we will solve the problems.
Sunday PUNCH August 29, 2004
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The President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
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