Nigeria: Guild of Editors to Lobby Lawmakers Over FOI Bill
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Vanguard (Lagos)
6 September 2008
Posted to the web 6 September 2008
Ifeanyi Ugwuadu and Patience Saghana
IN a bid to get the Freedom of Information Bill passed by the National Assembly, the Nigerian Guild of Editors says it is preparing grounds to engage the federal lawmakers in a dialogue that will hasten the passage of the bill.
President of the Guild, Gbenga Adefaye informed a gathering of insurance chiefs and finance correspondents yesterday in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, that veterans of the journalism profession would be leading discussions with lawmakers to smoothen the process of getting the FOI bill back on the agenda of the National Assembly. "We will engage the lawmakers," he said adding; "but in a different way."
Adefaye admitted that the Nigerian constitution empowers the federal lawmakers to make laws for good governance and reaffirmed that it is only dialogue that will see to the passage of the bill. "We will constitute a committee of leaders to talk to them," he stated.
He said discussions with key figures of the federal legislature indicate willingness to reopen discussion and debate on the information bill. In addition, he said the lawmakers understand that the bill is beneficial to the entire Nigerian society and not just journalists. Besides, he stated that the current legislators will be entering the history books as having passed such a key law during their tenure.
Adefaye who is also the Editor of Vanguard said while fielding questions over the role of editors in influencing the passage of the bill asserted that the bill will be passed by the current Assembly.
The Guild's president who spoke on "The Role of the Media in Post_Consolidation Insurance Industry at a 2 day retreat for insurance correspondents noted that the industry reforms are producing a market that is gradually building confidence.
Therefore, he enjoined players to tap into the opportunities that the expanding economy is providing to entrench themselves as key players in the economy.
He welcomed the "right kind of partnership" between the industry and the media adding that players must strengthen corporate governance if the media will cooperate to bring about a more profitable industry.
According to him, the level of business flow to the media will encourage managers of mediums to devote more space to the coverage of the businesses.
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He therefore, asked insurance companies to advertise more, create more awareness so that media managers will justify that spaces provided to report their activities.
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