It was interesting reading Abimbola Adelakun’s recent article in The PUNCH, entitled, “On media regulation, Gbajabiamila just didn’t get it.” It really dragged us back to military era of Sani Abacha where you didn’t have to say anything about government. It was an era when if anyone said anything, it was either they were marked down for elimination, arrested or detained and no longer news. That was how some NADECO chieftains scampered for safety and ran to exile. Even Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State and now National leader of APC can’t claim ignorance of this. And why will government, a democratic government at that, resurrect a media bill to the point of even regulating our vendors of newspapers?
Haba! Are existing laws for sedition and spreading of fake news not enough? No wonder Muiz Banire at one point classified our democracy as still a civilian dictatorship and especially where our leasers do not want to be accountable to the people for dividends of democracy.
For me, suspending the media amendment bills by the National Assembly is the right thing to do at this point in time. What is essentially important now is how our leaders can address poverty and rising youth unemployment as well as arrest the rising teething insecurity problems that our students can no longer learn in peace. Or is it how food stuff prices are soaring that the people can’t even afford to buy garri in the markets and others because of bandits and herdsmen’s menace, where farmers are now afraid to go to their farms thereby causing scarcity in foodstuff leading to high cost.
Also, if most of these bandits are foreigners as being bandied, how did they come through our borders without the knowledge of our authorities? And Boko Haram is still there killing and disturbing businesses and peace in the land. I feel these are more critical issues our leaders need to address than trying to make us overlook their shortcomings through these draconian media bills.
Emeka Anozie, 12 Adebola Street, Ikeja, Lagos State
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