Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation Ethics and Values, Hon Segun Odebunmi on Monday promised speedy action on the Journalism Enhancement Bill presently before the National Assembly.
Hon Odebunmi who stated this in Ibadan said that in doing this, he is determined to ensure that the bill gets the desired attention at the lower chamber.
The lawmaker representing Ogo Oluwa/Surulere said that he was not aware of the bill until recently and that he is ready to dig it out and take immediate action on it to enhance professionalism in the media industry.
Hon Odebunmi said, “The bill proposed the minimum entry point for editorial staff, conditions of service to commensurate with what obtains at the Federal Civil Service and the payment of hazard allowance to journalists, among others.
” aApart from remuneration, the bill also states that thehe Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria should ensure the implementation of the eligibility criteria for entry into and practice of journalism in Nigeria, as contained in the Nigerian Press Council Decree No 85 of 1992,” .
“All professionals and trade unions of media workers and owners notably the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) should partner the Nigerian Press Council and make it mandatory for all potential journalists to register with the relevant professional and regulatory bodies after fulfilling a basic requirement and be accredited to practice. They must also sign to uphold the code of conduct and ethics for Nigerian Journalists.”
It will be recalled that the lawmaker at a Press briefing in his office Abuja while speaking on the bill for an act to amend the NPC Act, said the insinuation that the bill was sponsored by federal government through Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed is not true
Hon Odebunmi stressed that the bill which is”A Bill For An Act To Amend The Nigerian Press Council Act. Cap N128, Laws of The Federation Of Nigeria 1992 to remove Bottlenecks Affecting its Performance and make the Council in tune with the Current realities in Regulating Press” was only influenced by his passion to ensure effectiveness of the regulating agencies and not to gag the media as being poorly muscled by some sectors of the public
“Most of the people commenting on the bill have no knowledge of it. The bill was not sponsored by Federal Government, even the Minister of Information was only aware few days to presentation and he did not have any input on the bill, it is my idea because I feel we should not wait for supreme court judgement to do what is right by amending the existing controversial law.”
