Buhari’s aide, Enang, denies reintroduction of Decree 4

Senator Ita Enang, has dismissed as false, the insinuations making the rounds that, the Federal Government is planning the re-introduction of decree 4.

• IYC accuses administration of double standard
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, has dismissed as false, the insinuations making the rounds that, the Federal Government is planning the re-introduction of decree 4.
He made this disclosure in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital while fielding questions from journalists.
According to him, the statement on hate message by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, was a reinstatement of the position of the law as enshrined in the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.

After the minister’s directive on hate speeches by broadcast stations, Nigerians saw it as an indirect way of bringing back the obnoxious decree 4, which was used by General Buhari in his heydays as military head of state to gag the press.
Enang explained that, in democratic settings, new laws can only be made through the National Assembly, noting that, “as far as I know, no such bill is before the national assembly. What the Minister of Information simply did was reinstating the position and content of Nigerian Broadcasting Code as contained in the law of the National Broadcasting Commission; he is not making any new law.
“If any new law is to be made, it has to be submitted to the National Assembly and such will be passed by and submitted to Mr. President for assent, no such law has been made.’’
On restructuring and devolution of powers, he posited that, such can only be possible once the Constitution is amended.
Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide has again carpeted the Federal Government, saying it has institutionalized double standard in national affairs in its treatment of the Arewa youth leaders and other ethnic groups’ agitators.
A statement signed by its President, Eric Omare, said the way and manner the Arewa youths were treated clearly justifies their earlier position that the quit notice given to the Igbo was politically motivated and had the backing of the Hausa/Fulani political class.
IYC said: “It is the height of nepotism and sectionalism for the Buhari’s administration to treat the Arewa youth leaders who committed serious offence bothering on national security with kid gloves and were hosted to state dinners while the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is been threatened with arrest and several Niger Delta activist languishing in detention.”