Don’t gag the press, NGE warns govt

[Mirror]

The Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, has condemned attempts by some people to gag the press by reviving provisions of the Nigerian Press Council, which a competent court had voided.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its Standing Committee Meeting in Lagos, NGE also noted with concern the recent re-arraignment of two journalists with Leadership newspapers, saying that the considerations that made the Federal Government to withdraw the case on May 4, in the first instance, should subsist.

The communiqué jointly signed by its President, Femi Adesina, and General Secretary, Isaac Ighure, reads in part: "The Guild is worried that the media is operating under difficult conditions because most of their inputs are imported and therefore are subject to the vagaries of foreign exchange.

"The Guild therefore urges the Federal Government to waive import duties on all media inputs, especially newsprints and broadcast equipment.

"The Guild notes with dismay the recent conduct of some political leaders, which has the tendency to derail the country's hard-earned democracy.

"The Guild urges political leaders to conduct themselves in a manner that will engender the highest democratic ideals."

The NGE also expressed displeasure that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, went on strike again over nonimplementation of agreements by the Federal Government.

It, therefore, urged all parties involved to return to the negotiation table to resolve all outstanding issues in the interest of the students, the country's future leaders

National Mirror

[Folami David]

The press should always be regarded because they are not enemies to celebs or public figures...They are equally important.