{"id":66809,"date":"2019-05-21T17:47:22","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T16:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=66809"},"modified":"2019-05-21T17:47:22","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T16:47:22","slug":"withdraw-repressive-nass-media-accreditation-guidelines-now-serap-tells-saraki-dogara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/withdraw-repressive-nass-media-accreditation-guidelines-now-serap-tells-saraki-dogara\/","title":{"rendered":"Withdraw ‘repressive NASS media accreditation guidelines now’, SERAP\u00a0 tells Saraki, Dogara"},"content":{"rendered":"
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the
\n“leadership and management of the National Assembly to immediately
\nwithdraw the repressive media accreditation guidelines or face legal
\naction.”<\/p>\n

The National Assembly leadership and management had in a letter
\nyesterday issued the ‘media accreditation guidelines’ that would prevent
\njournalists from covering the ninth National Assembly. Some of the 20
\nconditions listed are evidence of incorporation of the media
\norganisation, proof of membership of the NUJ with registration number
\nand the code of certification from the National Library of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Reacting, SERAP in a statement today by its deputy director Kolawole
\nOluwadare said: “Nigerians expect the leadership of the National
\nAssembly to show a greater level of transparency and accountability and
\nto explain and take responsibility for what they are doing rather than
\nimplicitly banning journalists from covering their public functions.
\nImplementing the ‘accreditation guidelines’ would allow the lawmakers to
\nescape accountability for their constitutional functions.”<\/p>\n

The organization urged the Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of
\nthe House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara to “open the windows and let
\nin the daylight’ of the National Assembly by immediately withdrawing the
\naccreditation guidelines and allowing journalists to freely cover the
\nactivities of leadership and members of the National Assembly.”<\/p>\n

The organization said it would: “pursue national and international legal
\naction if the unlawful guidelines is not withdrawn by Friday.”<\/p>\n

The statement read in part: “These accreditation guidelines are designed
\ndeliberately as barriers against transparency and accountability and
\namount to a blatant violation of the rights to freedom of expression,
\nfreedom of information and media freedom.<\/p>\n

These are fundamental rights lying at the heart of any system of
\ndemocratic governance.”<\/p>\n

“The accreditation guidelines clearly run counter to constitutional
\nprovisions and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations and the
\nnotion of free marketplace of ideas, necessary to serve the best
\ninterests of the public.”<\/p>\n

“Our constitutional democracy rests on the assumption that the widest
\npossible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic
\nsources is essential to the welfare of the public, that a free press is
\na condition of a free society.”<\/p>\n

“A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires access
\nto information, as ‘sunlight is the best of disinfectants.’ Allowing
\njournalists to freely cover the activities of the National Assembly
\nwould be the most prominent expression of a commitment to ensuring an
\nopen National Assembly. At the heart of that commitment is the idea that
\naccountability is in the interest of the lawmakers and the citizenry
\nalike.”<\/p>\n

“Other requirements under the guidelines are circulation of at least
\n40,000 newspaper copies daily with evidence to support the claimed
\nfigure, evidence of 50,000 daily views in the case of online media and
\nphotocopies of media organisation’s tax return for at least two years.”<\/p>\n

“Others include requirements for fresh accreditation are evidence of
\nmembership of professional bodies for media organisation, a functional
\nbureau in Abuja with staff strength of not less than five editorial
\nstaff publishing daily and on weekend.”<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the “leadership and management of the National Assembly to immediately withdraw the repressive media accreditation guidelines or face legal action.” The National…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWithdraw 'repressive NASS media accreditation guidelines now', SERAP\u00a0 tells Saraki, Dogara - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/withdraw-repressive-nass-media-accreditation-guidelines-now-serap-tells-saraki-dogara\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Withdraw 'repressive NASS media accreditation guidelines now', SERAP\u00a0 tells Saraki, Dogara - 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