Segun Odebunmi, the lawmaker sponsoring the Nigeria Press Council (NPC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Amendment Bill, says the House has agreed to suspend the bill.

Odebunmi, who is the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Information National Orientation Ethics and Values, told Channels TV that the suspension is necessary for proper consultations over the bill.

“We have been on this process for a while and right now, we have suspended it for more consultation to happen on it,” he said.

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Media practitioners and operators have particularly criticised the bill, saying that it is a move to shrink the civic space.

On Monday, print and online media organisations protested against the bill, expressing their grievances on their front pages.

The newspapers unanimously published an advertorial titled “Information Blackout” to portray that the Act amendment bills considered by the lawmakers were against the right of citizens’ information.

“It’s not just against the media,” the advertorial said. “It is about society’s right to know, your right to be heard.”