.Nigeria must reaffirm commitment to press freedom, says Senate

Foundation for Rights Enforcement, Enlightenment and Defence has cautioned the Senate against extending the retirement age for the Clerk and other staffers of the National Assembly from 60 to 65 years.

The call came against the backdrop of the decision by the upper legislative chamber to step down a Concurrence Bill on the matter, which has received the endorsement of a section of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN).

Meanwhile, the Senate has stressed the need for the country to reaffirm its commitment to press freedom, for journalists to work without fear of attack.

The civil society group wondered why the initiative was coming at a period when the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Tambawal, is on the verge of retiring from service.

Led by Mohammed Saidu, the group challenged the Clerk and other members of the union to reveal details of their terms of service when they joined the National Assembly bureaucracy.

Saidu said: “This time, we want to put it to the Clerk that he is misleading the 10th Assembly, using a compromised union to pursue his personal ambition of breaching the Constitution.”

It called on the National Assembly to guard against the passage of a law that is at variance with the Constitution.

“We call on the Senate to kill this controversial bill in accordance with the Council on Establishment at its 45th meeting held December 2023 in Bauchi.”

“For the umpteenth time, we reject, outright, the request for upward review of retirement age for public servants to 40 years and 60 years of age with the view that it is contrary to national aspirations of Renewed Hope, youth development, innovation and also in tandem with the reality of our population dynamics,” it noted.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Mohammed Monguno, made the observation in Abuja, yesterday, at a Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the State of Human Rights in Nigeria, organised by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), in collaboration with the Senate committee and House of Representatives Committee on Human Rights, with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Describing the development as one of the most pressing issues the country must address, the Senate chief noted that a free and vibrant media are indispensable to healthy democracy, lamenting that journalists and other media workers in the country have continued to face harassment, intimidation, and even violence for simply doing their jobs.

According to him, the country must also confront the scourge of impunity for human rights abuses, saying: “Too often, perpetrators of human rights violations go unpunished perpetuating a cycle of injustice and undermining the rule of law.”

Describing the development as one of the most pressing issues the country must address, the Senate chief noted that a free and vibrant media are indispensable to healthy democracy, lamenting that journalists and other media workers in the country have continued to face harassment, intimidation, and even violence for simply doing their jobs.

According to him, the country must also confront the scourge of impunity for human rights abuses, saying: “Too often, perpetrators of human rights violations go unpunished perpetuating a cycle of injustice and undermining the rule of law.”