Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the Nigerian media to self-regulate or be forcefully regulated by the government.
Falana made this known at the 13th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Lecture Series entitled “Remaking Nigeria” held in commemoration of the Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka birthday anniversary on Tuesday.
The legal practitioner who spoke in reference to government’s recent approval of N4.87b NIA budget to track and intercept calls and messages on WhatsApp and other messaging technology, warned the press that the budget would be deployed in the monitoring of their WhatsApp, phone calls and other technological means of communication.
Despite highlighting section 37 of the Nigerian constitution which protects the Nigerians rights telephone and telegraphic communications privacy, he urged media associations as Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Nigerian Union of Journalists to quickly self-regulate to avoid being regulated by the government.
“Nigerian Guild of Editors and the NUJ need to come up with a new regulation.”
As it is, two persons can set up an online platform somewhere and begin publishing whatever it wants.”
Making a case for the media, Inibehe Effiong of Inibehe Effiong Chambers stressed that without the media, the battle for democracy is dead on arrival.
To achieve the sought for democracy, the media, he said must be aware and willing to contest their rights to freedom of information in court if need be.
“The problem with the media and journalists in Nigeria is that they are not taking the steps to go to court to fight for their rights. Media has to be in the forefront of fight for press freedom,” he said.
CEO, WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka said in the rendering of their duties to inform and educate Nigerians, the media should value accuracy, fact, maintain credibility, build their capacity and ask the pertinent questions.
