Information Blackout: Nigerian Newspapers Publish Same Protest Headlines On July 12
Nigerian newspapers used the same headlines on Monday in protest of media regulation bills now being debated in the National Assembly.
The headlines titled; ‘Information Blackout’ appeared on the front pages of dailies such as Punch, Vanguard, The Nation, ThisDay, Guardian, Daily Sun, sponsored by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria.
The headlines posited that the NPC and NBC (Media) Act amendment bills being considered by the National Assembly were geared against press freedom and citizens’ right to information.
“It’s not just against the media, It’s about society’s right to know, your right to be heard,” the headline read.
Bills proposed by Olusegun Odebunmi, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics, and Values, are now being heard in public.
The bill is being debated at a time when the Nigerian government is attempting to tighten social media regulations following the suspension of Twitter.
