About 10 Television Cameramen, Photographers Shut Out As Senate Sits

About 10 television cameramen and photographers were shut out of the Senate chamber on Thursday.

The affected television cameramen were barred from entering the Senate chamber to cover the legislative proceedings by

the Clerk to the Senate, Nelson Ayewoh.

While six media organizations including the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Channels Television, African Independent Television (AIT), Television Continental (TVC), New Age Television, and SilverBird Television were allowed to freely enter the chamber and cover the proceedings, seven others were asked to cover from the gallery.

Those asked to cover proceedings from the gallery included Murhi International Television (MiTv), Ben Tv, Core Tv, Peoples Tv, DTN and ITv.

Those told to cover from the gallery backing the front view of the senators, saw the measure as an attempt to inhibit their coverage of activities in the chamber.

They promptly boycotted Thursday’s sitting to protest what they described as a draconian measure by the Senate leadership and the bureaucracy.

It was said that some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators complained to the Senate leadership about the position of cameramen during plenary.

Those that complained reportedly told the Clerk that their All Progressives Congress (APC) colleagues have more advantage of coverage by cameramen.

The issue degenerated as the Clerk allowed only six cameramen entry into the chamber.

In a strongly worded letter to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, The Chairman of the Senate Press Corps, Mr. Cosmas Ekpunobi, asked the Senate to rescind the decision to bar television cameramen from entering the Senate Chamber.

Ekpunobi said his attention has been draw to the decision of the Senate bureaucracy to further reduce the number of television news crew covering the senate from 13 to six.

 punch