Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives, yesterday, said it has no plan to gag the media or curtail the freedom of expression as enshrined in the 1999 constitution.
Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, at a press briefing in Abuja said the House will not support any legislation aimed at curtailing freedom of the press.
Kalu said the parliament needs the media to tell its story, especially as it concerns the positive reporting of events within the House.
“There is no where in our legislative agenda where we say we are going to gag the press. We are going to use the press to change the narrative in Nigeria and Africa by telling our stories positively. To make investors outside and those watching us to have respect for this country because we have a lot of good things to talk about. If we gag the press, who will tell our story. So we need the press to be as vocal as possible. But that is not to say that there is no need to put standards. Standard in every organization are the yardstick with which you measure your productivity. Why we criticise the government, let our reportage be a truthful one that shows what is happening in this country, not only the negative ones.