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Obadiah Mailafia: NBC Fines Nigeria Info For ‘Unproffessional Broadcast’

Sequel to allegations made by the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Obadiah Malafia on a radio program, that one of the repentant terrorists named a Northern Governor as the Boko Haram Commander, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) while expressing displeasure against 99.3 Fm Lagos for failing to handle the program in a ‘professional manner’ fined the station the sum of N5,000,000 in line with the amendment of the 6th edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

The commission says it is expected to serve as a deterrent to all other broadcast stations in Nigeria who are quick to provide platform for subversive rhetoric and the expositions of spurious and unverifiable claims, to desist from such.

Saying, it will not hesitate to suspend the Broadcast Licence of broadcast stations that continue to breach the Code.

This is contained in a statement issued by the commission which reads in part:

Stations are, by this statement, admonished to desist forthwith, from airing unwholesome content, or be ready to face appropriate sanctions.The National Broadcasting Commission noted with grave concern, the unprofessional conduct of Nigeria Info 99.3FM, Lagos, in the handling of the Programme, “Morning Cross Fire”, aired on August 10, 2020, between 8.30am and 9.00am. The station provided its platform for the guest, Dr. Mailafia Obadiah, to promote unverifiable and inciting views that could encourage or incite to crime and lead to public disorder.

The Commission reiterated that broadcasters hold licenses in trust for the people, therefore, no broadcast station should be used, to promote personal or sectional interests at the expense of the people saying Mailafia Obadia’s comments on the “Southern Kaduna Crisis”, were devoid of facts and by broadcasting same to the public, Nigeria Info 99.3FM, is in violation of the following sections of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code:

3.1.1      No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference to any person or organization, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity;

3.1.2        Broadcasting shall promote human dignity, therefore, hate speech is prohibited;

3.3.1 (a)  The broadcaster shall ensure that any information given in a programme, in whatever form, is accurate;

3.3.3.1(b)    The Broadcaster shall ensure that all sides to any issue of public
interest are equitably presented for fairness and balance;

3.11.1(a)     The broadcaster shall ensure that language or scene likely to   encourage or incite to crime, or lead to disorder, is not broadcast;

3.11.1(b)    No programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign state;

5.4.1(f)       The Broadcaster shall not transmit divisive materials that may threaten or compromise the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a sovereign state.

Meanwhile, the opposition has been reacting to this development. The Spokesman of the CUPP, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere in a statement said;

What the NBC, which is turning into an agency for promotion of dictatorship and leading the new war against the media and right to free speech have not told Nigerians is the details of what constitutes offensive speech.They should state in fact, words that are abusive by their standards let’s understand what exactly they mean by “denigrates the social norms, values and culture of the society they are becoming shameless.The incompetence of the president and others and their constant violations of human rights are against our social norms, values and culture as well. They have been abusing a large number of us and when we call them to order to do the needful or step aside, we are very well in our right as citizens.

Opposition believes the move by NBC is the highest degree of oppression.

Beating up a child and asking that child not to cry is an abuse. If you do not want the child to cry, then do not beat the child. Fix the system and Nigerians will quit complaining Let the media come together to resist these late comers to the outdated dictator Mobute Sesseko academy for groaning incompetent dictators.

 

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