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From: Independent Journalism Centre (IJC), [email protected]

NIGERIA MEDIA MONITOR

February 17, 2003.

· SSS OFFICER ASSULTS PUNCH CORRESPONDENT
· NBC READS RIOT ACT TO BROADCAST MEDIA
· NUJ COMMENDS SENATE FOR ABROGATING ANTI-MEDIA LAWS
· COMMISSIONER WARNS MEDIA AGAINST INSTILLING FEAR IN PEOPLE
· NBC TO RESOLVE ISSUES ON POLITICAL BROADCASTING

SSS OFFICER ASSULTS PUNCH CORRESPONDENT
The Punch February 13, 2003

A State Security Service (SSS) officer, attached to the Abeokuta residence of
former Interim Head of State, Chief Ernest Sonekan, in Abeokuta, on Monday,
assaulted the Ogun State correspondent of the Punch, Mr. Niyi Odebode.

But for the intervention of other journalists, who were attending a press
conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) office, Oke-Ilewo, Odebode
would have been beaten to a state of coma.

The security officer accused Odebode of pleading for a tax driver, whom he
arrested for illegal parking.

The driver was arrested few minutes after The Punch Correspondent boarded his
taxi at Oke-Ilewo.

NBC READS RIOT ACT TO BROADCAST MEDIA
Vanguard, Friday, February 14, 2003

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has warned that it would not hesitate
to close down any electronic medium which violates the establishment's
guidelines on broadcasting. The Director-General of NBC, Dr. Silas Yisa, read
the riot act when he paid a courtesy call on Imo State Governor, Chief Achike
Udenwa at the Government House, Owerri. "NBC is not
particularly happy that some electronic media organisations in the country have
been operating as if
they are lords unto themselves."

Dr.Yisa who described NBC as "policeman and regulator of all electronic media
outfits in Nigeria," also reiterated the preparedness of the commission to
promote professionalism and discipline in the
broadcast sector.

He said that he did not see the reason why every political party should not be
given equal opportunity to sell themselves, their candidates and their
programmes through the channels of any
government-owned media, adding that in the past, the media was blamed variously
for the failure of democracy in Nigeria and "we should collectively work towards
sustaining our current democracy."

NUJ COMMENDS SENATE FOR ABROGATING ANTI-MEDIA LAWS
ThisDay, February 10, 2003

The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has commended the Senate for abrogating
anti-media laws just as it urged the Senate to expedite action on the
Journalists Practice Enhancement Bill, currently before it as a means of
safeguarding the industry from collapse.

The commendation was contained in a communiqué adopted at the end of the
February 2003 Congress in Lagos on the review of recent Triennial Delegates
Conference held at the Administrative Staff College (ASCON), Badagry.

The communique endorsed by the Lagos Council Chairman and Secretary, Mrs. Funke
Fadugba and Mr. Okonkwo Adolphus, respectively frowned at the distress and
inability of most employers to pay their staff salaries regularly and urged the
management of the affected media houses to find a way at settling salary arrears
of its members.

While adopting the decision taken on the dissolution of the two leadership of
the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and Sports Writers
Association of Nigeria (SWAN), the union reaffirmed the decision at the last
conference to present any corrupt officer of the Union at any level to the
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Committee (ICPC), as
well as the review of the Union constitution by the national body.

COMMISSIONER WARNS MEDIA AGAINST INSTILLING FEAR IN PEOPLE.
Daily Times, February 13, 2003

Media practitioners have been urged to stop instilling fear in people through
their constant allusion to the April general elections as being "jinxed" and
"doomed to failure."

Nasarawa State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Labaran Maku,
who gave the advice in an interview with the Daily Times said the "jinx" sing
song being echoed by the media appeared to be aimed at sabotaging the elections,
admonishing that the media "should report democracy from the point of view of
wanting it to succeed."

NBC TO RESOLVE ISSUES ON POLITICAL BROADCASTING
ThisDay, February 13, 2003

National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said it is resolving some issues,
developing and clarifying some policies that are not clear in respect to
political broadcasting in Nigeria.

Dr. Silas Yisa, NBC director-general, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in
Lokoja that the resolution of the grey areas and the fine-tuning of the nation's
broadcasting code would sanitise the industry and put practitioners on their
feet.

He said the policy areas include operations of State-run Media, Community
Broadcasting, the National Broadcasting Code, issues relating to the
establishment of an Independent Broadcast Network in the country and integrity
question in the media. The commission, he added, organised a three-day expanded
board of management retreat in Lokoja to discuss the future of the commission
and the way forward.

Yisa said that the retreat, which ended last weekend, issued a statement on the
use of broadcast materials in state-run media, adding that the commission was
re-introducing the national broadcasting guidelines to state operators and
governments.

"It is just a reminder to them because this time around, we in the media
industry are determined not to be blamed for any failure of the new democratic
experiment in the country," he said.

The NBC Director-General said that at the moment, only the federal government
had established two networks in the country, the NTA and FRCN, adding that NBC
had sent a proposal to government on the need for a third network that would be
operated independently.

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