NPAN flays devilish Press Bill – Vanguard
November 24, 2009 by Bunmi Awolusi
The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), has condemned the strange Press Council Bill now circulating at the National Assembly which seeks to impose government control on the Nigerian press.
At the end of its meeting, last Thursday, NPAN, in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Mr. Feyi Smith, noted that:
“NPAN is saddened that in 2OO9 when Nigerians had hoped that progress had been made in dismantling the obstacles to a free press, there are some people who are enacting a bill that will take us back to the era of government control.
“It would appear that history is lost on the promoters of this bill because the Press in Nigeria has always stood against any attempt to emasculate it. As a democracy, we believe that Nigeria should be making much progress at freeing up the space for public discourse and engagement and ensuring that every effort at instituting accountability is encouraged.
