The new media bill – A setback for our democracy

The essence of any democratic dispensation is partly owed to the freedom of expression. This freedom of expression is usually given a concrete outlet by the media. This is essentially why the media is usually viewed as one of the major institutions of democracy.

In Nigeria, much of the foregoing can be deemed to be true. Indeed and over the years, right from the various eras of our national life, the media has always been at the barricades contending against and sometimes partnering with the status quo forces. On several occasions however, and at almost every turn, the managers of the state have always attempted to shackle and curb the media through various laws, all the way from colonial times.

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However, the grit, courage and resilience of the media have always been demonstrated by its refusal to be cowed by the state. While much of the foregoing could be expected under both the colonial and military rules, it is something of an anomaly that even in our current democratic era, attempts are still being made by one of the democratic institutions to, as it were, control and curb the media.

Specifically our reference here is to the latest offensive against the media, by Olusegun Odebunmi a member of the House of Representatives, (APC Iresaadu Surulere, Oyo State) who is the sponsor of this bill. The strong suspicion here is that Odebunmi is a surrogate, and that indeed, he is merely acting on behalf of some invisible forces that can possibly be located in the executive arm of government.

The specifics of the bill are such that they constitute a virtual reversal to the times when Nigeria was either under colonialrule, or the jackboot of the military. Needless to say, this is sad, and it clearly reflects the bestial and sadistic devices of those who are supposed to embody the fondest ideals of our democratic experiment. The bill should be viewed as the latest in the slew of previous legislations, which have been designed to weaken the news media. Among other provisions, the Bill provides that the Nigerian Press Council is mandated to ensure that truthful, genuine and quality services are provided by the various media houses and practitioners.

The Bill also provides for a Registration Board for Journalists and the Board has been invested with sweeping and awesome powers. For instance, the penalty for publishing without the Board’s approval is a fine of 5 million naira or a jail term of three years or both, plus a fine of 20,000 naira for each day the offence is committed. Moreover, the Board may direct the media house to publish an apology or correction. Failure to do this will attract a fine of 250,000 naira and suspension from journalistic works for six months. Meanwhile, in extreme cases, the council can strike a reporter’s name off the register it is mandated to maintain.

Vendors of publications are not also spared. Those not licensed by the Council will have to pay a fine of 250,000 naira or be sentenced to a jail term of one year or both. The bizarre bill does not stop there. This is because, the publication of what is deemed to be fake news is punishable with a fine of 5 million naira or a jail term of two years, plus payment of monetary compensation to injured individuals or groups. The issuing house stands to pay a fine of 10 million naira and to be shut down for a year.

In addition, it would be required to pay a compensation of 20 million naira to the injured party. One curious dimension of this obnoxious bill is that the visible sponsor of the bill lacks any experience of the media, having never worked in the industry before. It is arguable then that the bill is really the handiwork of unseen forces.

Even then, and taken on its merits, we in BusinessDay, condemn in the strongest terms, this surreptitious attempt to return our nation to the dark ages. The sponsor(s) of the bill need to appreciate that there are enough statutory provisions in our law books, such that erring media houses can easily be taken to task; and to this extent the Bill and its provisions are very superficial and totally unnecessary. It seeks to virtually derail our democracy. For when the media is shackled as the bill attempts to do, we may as well say bye-bye to our current efforts in democratization.

However, one comfort that we can draw even from this dismal situation is that, what the media has on its hands is an old battle. Previous managers of the state rather than focus on their primary mandate of governance have always attempted to rein in the media. But on each occasion, they have always failed. Clearly and in this instance, the state will also lose out.

Therefore, all those behind the media bill should do a rethink and disappear into the night. They are transient gods. One day, they will leave power and they too, will need a healthy and vibrant media for their own purposes. So in the light of this self-serving rationale and other reasons, they should let the media be; for the sake of our fledgling democracy. As it is, the Bill is not only a distraction, it is also clearly a setback for our democracy.