The EMPEROR in the Comrade Governor of Edo State Mr. Adams Oshiomhole is manifesting. He has threatened to revoke the Right of Occupancy of NTA for allowing an opposition to air his view concerning the performance or lack of, of his government.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/nov/14/603.html

Who says there's hope for democracy in Nigeria? Who says free speech is not in real trouble in our country when people who have benefited from free speech to to maximum are threatening news media with untold consequence for doing their job? What stops Oshiomhole from organizing his own "ARRANGEE" phone-in program?

What is your view?

porka:

The EMPEROR in the Comrade Governor of Edo State Mr. Adams Oshiomhole is manifesting. He has threatened to revoke the Right of Occupancy of NTA for allowing an opposition to air his view concerning the performance or lack of, of his government.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/nov/14/603.html

Who says there's hope for democracy in Nigeria? Who says free speech is not in real trouble in our country when people who have benefited from free speech to to maximum are threatening news media with untold consequence for doing their job? What stops Oshiomhole from organizing his own "ARRANGEE" phone-in program?

What is your view?

Why not paint or fuller picture instead of your currently less wholesome offerings? While it would perhaps be advisable for Oshiomole to refrain from threatening NTA, what he was saying was understandable. He was criticising NTA for hosting unbalanced debates whereby people in government who would have been readily available to give a different account, were not even invited. Hence it is kind of like the problem the whitehouse seems to have with fox news, whereby, it is alleged that blatant lies are peddled in broad daylight as factual news. As far as I am concerned NTA is such a government stooge and hence it that respect a PDP stooge, it is not worth watching them and they have no credibility. Yar Adua could sell Nigeria to Saudi Arabia tomorrow and the headlines on NTA would be about Turai Yar Adua going to visit some chief, how she ate soup in the chief's house, and her thoughts on the texture and composition of the soup. You could find his means of getting his message across quite questionable, but he those have a point, especially when his constituents probably mostly watch NTA and are fed on such a news outlet.

@poster,
what the governor said was correct. Journalism should be balanced. Did the NTA seek to hear the other side of the story before they aired it? Lets not get sentimental emotionally. What NTA did by airing a one sided programme was wrong!

ohisng:

@poster,
what the governor said was correct. Journalism should be balanced. Did the NTA seek to hear the other side of the story before they aired it? Lets not get sentimental emotionally. What NTA did by airing a one sided programme was wrong!

Even if NTA are biased (which I believe they strongly are), it does not make his threats democratic though, I mean, free speech et al.

NTA is not a free PRESS.

It belongs to any government in power, in this case: PDP!

There used to a certain stooge of the labour governor hovering around nairaland! I did like him to give credence to the governor's assertions.

@Posta,
Let try to be feeding people with right report and stop giving wrong impression, we all know what is happening in Edo state and with this atmosphere this man is trying all the possible best for Edo people not to be misled via this artless journalist. let try to be optimistic don't engage in what this generation will categorise as course, we are part and parcel of this mess, let solution be our core obligation.
Thanks

Gbenga aruleba was ousted from presenting focus nigeria on ait not because he was not good but for his one-sided view,,if the nta had aired the program criticizing oshiomole govt as a debate-like pattern where an edo state govt official would have oppose,then it will be seen as objective, But this type of situation suggests that adams has a lot of people who do not want him to succeed

Where is the Freedom of Information Bill?

You seem to be suggesting that ousting Gbenga Aruleba from AIT is justified therefore Emperor Oshiohmole's attempt at gagging the media is cool. Or that Daniel's attempt to "register" media houses is fine? Wrong!

Neither is good and none should be encouraged in a democracy. Democracy is anchored on freedom of speech among many other freedoms. You are not bothered as far as it is done to a PDP media. That's nonsense, Oshiomhole himself benefitted from "the one-sided" arrangment of NTA from 1999 to 2007 and nobody threatened anybody for giving him a fair hearing.

You dont seem to have read the complaint against NTA by this modern day demagogue. He said the program was a live-phone-in settting featuring an opposition. Live programs are meant for people to respond to, what stops him from seeking to present his side of the story and arrange a similar phone-in.

Are you saying the FG should use its "power" to clamp down on Edo radio or TV? Nigerians dont like free speech until we lose it.

The reality of free speech is that you dont have any choice in a democracy, this is not Iran, or China, or Obama's USA. The law court is there if you feel slandered or libeled by anybody, you can sue the daylight out of that person or institution. At least that will bring decorum to public debate. Nobody should be allowed to take away the right of the opposition to criticize the government of the day - not even when the incumbent is a beneficiary of such freedom in the past. IT WONT HAPPEN IN NIGERIA.

Oh so Oshiomole is now an Emperor

@porka & oluschenco
good point from you guys;canvassing for freedom of information, Lets start on a lower level.,
why did seun employ moderators on the forum since he could possibly decide not to
why do users get banned since their is freedom of expression?,over to you

@Bluetooth

Why Seun bans and moderates his forum is best known to him. However, it is not uncommon for media houses to have their own philosophy, what they accept and what they dont accept depending on their beliefs. For instance, a forum promoting religious values may not accept opinion unbecoming of the values thet seek to promote. I may decide to set up my own forum to accept adult content or to promote a certain political philosophy. If you have any contrary view to espouse that I feel I cant take, you are at liberty, while exercising your fundamental right to free speech, to set up your own forum and accept or promote your values.

Seun cannot under any circumstance come to your forum to disallow you from airing your view after having "banned" you from his forum. Similarly, freedom of speech is a right under democracy, no government has a right to dictate to me not to criticize or how to criticize it. The worst any government can do is take me to court for violation of whatever law. Nobody should be immuned from criticism not even Adams Oshiomhole who criticized government from 1999 - 2007 without any molestation. Or do you think the government of that time liked what he said? He is just an ordinary governor, compared to what he said to the president of this country for eight years, this is a child's play. Do you think he is allowing opposition air their opinion on Edo media outfits?

Im not saying there shouldnt be opposition against him,even obama has strong media critism trailing which has been treated as racism but the whole thing is about objectivity, Power is valuable if it can be harnessed,if not then its not power any more.,castigating or flattering a govt just because he regained power from pdp wont move the state forward,

Anybody that criticises The Evil Negro Oloshiomhole is in serious trouble so dont even try to correct him yu will die if yu try. I think. Oloshiomohole the Evil Monkeying Emperor.

Oshiomole never start!!! he wants to ban NTA, he should go ahead.

See frustrated pdp members,no more ghana must go for them, Eh ya .

What a bigoted fool Oshimhole is.
He threatens to close NTA for "allowing the opposition" to voice their opinion on air.
Yet he turns a blind eye when the state owned media give loop sided news and lavish praises on him day in day out, denying the opposition airtime ie, Edo state broadcasting service, The Nigerian Observer [Edo state government owned] and the tv/radio station owned by his political godfather Lucky Igbenedion which is ITV Benin.
This is the same person who claims to have fought tyrany all his life when that is all he now stands for.
Shame on him and his sponsored supporters on Nairaland ie ohisng and jas o.

What a bigoted fool Oshimhole is.
He threatens to close NTA for "allowing the opposition" to voice their opinion on air.
Yet he turns a blind eye when the state owned media give loop sided news and lavish praises on him day in day out, denying the opposition airtime ie, Edo state broadcasting service, The Nigerian Observer [Edo state government owned] and the tv/radio station owned by his political godfather Lucky Igbenedion which is ITV Benin.
This is the same person who claims to have fought tyrany all his life when that is all he now stands for.
Shame on him and his sponsored supporters on Nairaland ie ohisng and jas o.[/quote]

~Bluetooth:
Gbenga aruleba was ousted from presenting focus nigeria on ait not because he was not good but for his one-sided view,,if the nta had aired the program criticizing oshiomole govt as a debate-like pattern where an edo state govt official would have oppose,then it will be seen as objective, But this type of situation suggests that adams has a lot of people who do not want him to succeed

Gbenga Arulega ousted? When did that happen and why? I need more explanations pls

Pruddie26: What a bigoted fool Oshimhole is.
He threatens to close NTA for "allowing the opposition" to voice their opinion on air.
Yet he turns a blind eye when the state owned media give loop sided news and lavish praises on him day in day out, denying the opposition airtime ie, Edo state broadcasting service, The Nigerian Observer [Edo state government owned] and the tv/radio station owned by his political godfather Lucky Igbenedion which is ITV Benin.
This is the same person who claims to have fought tyrany all his life when that is all he now stands for.
Shame on him and his sponsored supporters on Nairaland ie ohisng and jas o.

Is that so tell me more