As unsettling as the clamour for the Freedom of Information Bill (FoIB), now jettisoned by the National Assembly may appear to some political office holders in the country, Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, declared unequivocally in Abuja yesterday, "I am all for a free press."

He told the gathering at the yearly seminar of the State House Press Corps in the Presidential Villa that a free press was essential for the socio-economic advancement of the country, hence the need for the press to remain unfettered in the discharge of its responsibilities.

"I am all for a free press. Those who have closely watched me since I came into public office will observe that I have a soft spot for the press.
 
In fact, I whole-heartedly share the thought of the French writer and philosopher, Voltaire, who once argued, in his letter to Helvetius: ‘I do not agree with what you are saying but I will fight to the death for your right to say it,"’ he stated.

In his lecture titled: Nurturing Democracy in Nigeria: The role of the Journalist, the Governor, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Hope Eghagha, said he believed the press should be an avenue for a free market place of ideas.

The Delta State governor, however, said in the discharge of its responsibilities, it depended on the press to uphold the principles of social responsibility in a determined effort to evolve a society of our dream.

"It is necessary to warn that the power and near monopolistic position of some media also impose on them an obligation to be socially responsible, to see that all sides are fairly presented and that the public has enough information upon which to take decisions.

"The media owe society a lot of responsibility in being able to sift through every piece of information to avoid propagating and courting ideas, actions and discussions that divide us as a people, that threaten the survival of our dear country as a nation, thereby retarding the peace, stability and sustainable development of the country," he further pointed out.

Also speaking on the occasion, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Umaru Yar’Adua, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, said the media had made such immeasurable contributions to the development of the country that it could not be relegated to the background.

While advising the media to always discharge its responsibilities with utmost sense of social responsibility, he commended the State House correspondents for their display of maturity and professionalism in the coverage of presidential activities.

In their opening remarks on the occasion, both the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, and the Chairman of the State House Corp, Mr. Dan Idonor, aligned themselves with the view expressed by Adeniyi.

Idonor enjoined the National Assembly to reject the controversial Press Council Bill and pass the Freedom of Information Bill, which it jettisoned recently.