The Nigerian Press Council Act 2004: An Appraisal

Abstract

The Nigerian Press Council Act 2004 establishes the Nigerian Press Council for the promotion of high professional standards for the Nigerian press and deal with complaints emanating from members of the public concerning the conduct of journalists in their professional capacity or complaints emanating from the press regarding the conduct of persons or organisations toward the press. This article appraises the Nigerian Press Council Act 2004. The research methodology used by the authors is mainly doctrinal analysis of applicable secondary and primary sources. The article finds that there are numerous challenges of the Nigerian Press Council militating against the effective discharge of its duties under the Nigerian Press Council Act 2004, including a lack of faithful implementation of the provisions of the Act above and the failure of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution to specifically guarantee the right to freedom of the press or media, as a fundamental and enforceable right in Nigeria. The article recommends that the Nigerian Press Council should rise to the challenge of faithful implementation of the provisions of the Nigerian Press Council Act 2004 and the 1999 Nigerian Constitution should be altered to specifically guarantee a fundamental right to freedom of the press or media in alignment with the practice of other countries like Zimbabwe and Kenya.