A former Governor of Ogun State,
Chief Olusegun Osoba has vehemently kicked against the controversial social
media bill in its entirety.
Osoba, a veteran journalist,
slammed the sponsor of the bill and senators, accusing them of attempting to
silence the press in a democratic nation like Nigeria.
Osoba spoke Monday at an event
commemorating 160 years of journalism in Nigeria, held at Abeokuta the Ogun
State capital.
Speaking on the theme,
“Re-inventing the practice of Journalism in Nigeria with emphasis on the
influence of the Social Media”, Osoba taunted the Senators, asking if the
lawmakers or their forefathers did participate in the struggle for independence
and democracy in Nigeria.
“We (media practitioners) don’t
deserve this treatment from Senators who are now enjoying the benefit of the
war that we waged against the military to entrench democracy in Nigeria,” Osoba
expressed.
He said, “We will all be the
victims of the bill if we allow it to scale through. We (media practitioners)
fought the military to standstill.
“You will recall many of our
people lost their lives, those who are propagating a bill should remember.
Where were they when NADECO, the Media stood up to fight Abacha? Were they
born? Were their forefathers fought in those days when Herbert Macaulay and co,
were fighting for liberation of the colonial system to independence and then we
took it up under the military?
“We all suffered under Abacha. The
Guardian was burnt. Punch was closed down. Those who were running TELL Magazine
had to run out of the country into exile. I can go on with the examples of the
deprivation we suffered.”
The All Progressives Congress
(APC) chieftain, however, said there were mechanism to checkmate “bad
journalism” if any Nigerian finds a report to have damaged his reputation.
Osoba said he severally had
challenged series of false reports about his personality in court and won.
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