Media Anti-Bill Campaign A Blackmail, Says Senate Spokesman

Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs Surajudeen
Ajibola Basiru challenged the media “to point out sections of the
bills and how they will adversely affect free media”

Reacting to the advertisement published by newspapers on Monday
on the media Bill, Basiru said: “It does not just suffice to come
up with graphics and try to do scaremongering.

They (media) have not demonstrated empirically how the bills
would gag information in Nigeria.

“Democracy is a market of ideas. So anybody that has a contrary
view should express it in a way to convince other people as to the
rightness of his own position.

“If they want to canvass against the legislation, they should
come up with a concrete argument pointing out relevant obnoxious
provisions, if any, and the reasons why they are obnoxious.

“You cannot just make a banner graphics and say that is the
basis to engage a national legislature. At the best, it is just
emotional blackmail.”

Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs Surajudeen
Ajibola Basiru challenged the media “to point out sections of the
bills and how they will adversely affect free media”

Reacting to the advertisement published by newspapers on Monday
on the media Bill, Basiru said: “It does not just suffice to come
up with graphics and try to do scaremongering.

They (media) have not demonstrated empirically how the bills
would gag information in Nigeria.

“Democracy is a market of ideas. So anybody that has a contrary
view should express it in a way to convince other people as to the
rightness of his own position.

“If they want to canvass against the legislation, they should
come up with a concrete argument pointing out relevant obnoxious
provisions, if any, and the reasons why they are obnoxious.

“You cannot just make a banner graphics and say that is the
basis to engage a national legislature. At the best, it is just
emotional blackmail.”