ANRP Rejects New Accreditation Guidelines for National Assembly Press Corps

ABUJA, 22 May 2019 — Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) has denounced the new guidelines for media houses and journalists recently released by the National Assembly management, which the Party describes as ‘despotic, unreasonable, and an attempt to muffle and silence the press’.

The NASS management in their new and stringent 20-point guidelines require media houses to mandatorily have a daily circulation of 40,000 copies of their newspapers and provide evidence for same; to also maintain functional bureaux in Abuja (with a staff strength of not less than 5 editorial staff). Online media houses are to have at least 5,000 ‘viewership’ per day; the sites must have been operational for not less than 5 years, and are to provide evidence of same especially, coverage of parliamentary news. Television stations must have nationwide coverage; among other obnoxious stipulations.

ANRP asserted that the press is called the ‘fourth estate of the realm’, placing it alongside the 3 arms of government: the legislative, executive, and judiciary; because of its watchdog role, which is vital to a functioning democracy. The press is also the eyes and ears of citizens in a democracy. It is for this cause that freedom of press is guaranteed in section 22 of the Nigerian constitution. All attempts therefore, by whatever body so called, to subvert these rights, entrench and dig deeper into a culture of opacity and darkness (as they lavish public funds on themselves via several unaccounted allowances and sharp practices), also to violate the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution stand condemned, and cannot hold.

The Party called on the NASS management to get off their high horse and dialogue with all interested stakeholders to arrive at standardised, reasonable and acceptable guidelines for media houses and journalists covering NASS, which do not stifle freedom of press, but ratherenhance professionalism, are fair and inclusive.

Sesugh Akume

National Spokesman
Telephone: 09064796674 (call, text, WhatsApp)Email: nationalspokesman@anrp.org.ng

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