Abuja — The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria has declared that the country is sliding back to the dark ages and an era of government control of the media with the proposed Press Council Bill.

It also described as illogical the new bill, saying that its design seeks to replace the existing Nigeria Press Council with the Nigerian Press and Practice of Journalism Council.

Rising from its meeting where it deliberated on the bill now circulating at the National Assembly, the association, in a statement signed by its National President Chief Ajibola Ogunsola, Vice President Malam Kabiru Yusuf, and Publicity Secretary Mr. Frank Aigbogun, declared that it is sad that in 2009 when Nigerians had hoped that progress had been made in dismantling the obstacles to a free press, some people are thinking of enacting a bill that would take the country back to the era of government control.

NPAN said: "It would appear that history is lost on the promoters of this bill because the press in Nigeria has always stood against any attempt to emasculate it. As a democracy, we believe that Nigeria should be making much progress at freeing up the space for public discourse and engagement and ensuring that every effort at instituting public accountability.

As efforts before it, the association said the new bill begins on the faulty and diabolic premise that the Federal Government should determine what the public should know and seeks to abridge the right of the people to information and to hold their leaders accountable to those who elected them.

"In 1999, NPAN instituted a case at the Federal High Court, Lagos, seeking to abrogate the Nigerian Press Council Decree because it was our view that its provisions are inimical to the smooth functioning of a free press.

"That suit, number FH/L/C/1324/99, is still pending before the court and it would now seem that the promoters of this vexatious bill now seek to make the final outcome of that suit a nullity", the statement said.

It said NPAN and other stakeholders have established an ombudsman process and calls on Nigerians to support the process and to fight to defeat "this evil bill" and any other measures that seek to curtail freedom of information.