Senate President, Bukola Saraki has distanced himself and the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, from the new guidelines for journalists seeking to cover the National Assembly.
Saraki vowed to institute a probe into the idea behind the guidelines which did not emanate from either the Senate President or the Speaker.
The guidelines issued by authorities of the National Assembly (NASS) is due to become effective from June 11, 2019.
It demands, among other ‘draconian’ provisions, that a media organisation wishing to be accredited for coverage of NASS activities should submit a copy of its income tax return for the last two years.
Other requirements include “presentation of evidence of certificate of incorporation of the media organisation, evidence of membership of professional bodies for the journalists, maintenance of a functional Bureau in Abuja (staff strength not less than 5 Editorial staff) and daily circulation of 40,000 copies for the print media with evidence to support the claimed circulation figure.”