By Dada Ahmed.
Media Rights Agenda (MRA), has condemned revocation and withdrawal of the broadcast licenses of 52 broadcast stations across Nigeria by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) describing the action as ill-advised, insensitive and antithetical to the interests of the Nigerian public.
In a statement by Ms Obioma Okonkwo, Head,Legal Department, MRA and a copy made available to The Reporters on Friday, Okonkwo said that by the revocation of the broadcast licenses of so many stations for alleged non-payment of their licence fees, the NBC was prioritizing its desire to make money off the broadcasters.
She said that the action of the commission was made over the interest of citizens, adding that the ultimate effect of its action was to deprive millions of Nigerians access to information as well as their rights and ability to freely express themselves through these stations.
Ms Okonkwo said: “We are shocked by this naked display by the NBC of a lack of appreciation of its principal role which is to contribute to the emergence of a knowledge society.
“Rather, it has chosen to create an environment in which millions of Nigerians will wallow in ignorance, deprived of access to crucial information that they need to make critical decisions in their lives or to enhance their livelihoods.”
She argued that “the action of the NBC had only worsened the prevailing lopsidedness in the broadcasting landscape in Nigeria which was already dominated by government-owned broadcasting stations but is now under the monopolistic control of Federal Government-owned stations, which will be almost unchallenged, with the result that citizens will now be fed unmitigated propaganda by these remaining stations.”
Ms Obioma said the action of NBC amounted to insensitive to the harsh economic environment under which the broadcast stations have operated over the last two and a half years as the national economy has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic itself and the measures taken by the government in response to the pandemic.
She noted that the broadcasting stations are also negatively impacted by the inability of the government to create a conducive environment for them to operate, such as providing appropriate infrastructure like electricity supply, adding that with the stations having to find alternative sources of power supply even as the price of diesel continues to skyrocket daily, they are simply struggling to survive.
Ms Obioma said: “The fact that so many broadcasting stations have been unable to pay the license fees raises serious questions about the fairness and appropriateness of the fees being imposed on broadcasters by the NBC in such a challenging economic environment.
“As the NBC, which imposes the fees and collects them for its own use, there needs to be an independent inquiry into this apparent conflict of interest where the motivation of the commission is apparently to make as much money for itself as possible.”
Ms Obioma called on the NBC to reverse its decision in the public interest to avoid creating a society of predominantly ignorant citizens, advised that the need to ensure that Nigerians were adequately informed, through the media, should supersede any other consideration by the NBC.
She also advised the commission to liaise with the broadcasting stations, to identify the challenges facing the industry and come up with realistic solutions to the identified challenges.
The Reporters gathered that MRA came into being in 1993 as an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, for promoting and protecting the right to freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information as well as digital rights and freedoms.
The Reporters recalls that NBC released the names of debtor Broadcast Stations owing license fees in Abuja on Friday.
According to its Director General, Mallam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, “after due consideration, the NBC hereby announces the revocation of the licenses of the under-listed stations and gives them 24 hours to shut down their operations.
“Our offices nationwide are hereby directed to collaborate with security agencies to ensure immediate compliance”.
Shehu Ilelah, at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, said the stations whose licenses were revoked had been owing the commission N2.6 billion since 2015.
