Several major Nigerian newspapers yesterday carried a front-page advertorial that accused the authorities of planning to clamp down on freedom of information.
Sponsored by the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Nigerian Guild of Editors and Newspaper Publishers Association of Nigerian, the advertorial, which featured a man behind a cage, said the Nigerian government is sponsoring amendments for two acts – Nigerian Press Council (NPC) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) acts.
The publication on Monday marked a turning in the media’s fight against the amendment bills.
Many journalists and groups have condemned the proposed amendments, describing them as an attempt by the government to stifle the freedom of speech and a way of muzzling the media into silence.
NUJ president Christopher Isiguzo in an interview said the union is opposed to the amendments and that any regulation that tends towards the control of the media by the government would be resisted.