THE National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has denied allegation that Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, its director general, accused some supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari, of violating the broadcasting code. The commission said the NBC organised a stakeholders’ forum on political broadcasts recently in Kano, because of its large population size with over 20 operating broadcast establishments.

In a statement signed by Maimuna Jamida, its corporate affairs manager, the commission explained that the Act establishing the NBC specifies that regulating the industry is a core function of the commission. He said the essence of regulation is to ensure decent, objective and factual reportage by all operators. “This resonates with the expressed determination and policy thrust of the present administration to eliminate hate and incendiary speeches and broadcasts across all levels of society that have heated and strained the society and law enforcement efforts.

“It was against this background that the Director General of the Commission, in his address at the occasion, alluded to the escalating spate of hate speech in political broadcasts, and the imperative for broadcast operators to be vigilant and be guided by the broadcasting code in their operations,” he said.

Jamida expressed his worries over instances where political actors often misconstrue the statutory role of NBC as an industry regulator to be impeding/restricting their political activities, making such actors to reach out to contacts in high levels of government for undue political interference and advantage. In making this observation, the director general drew several examples across political and regional boundaries to justify the assertion.”

He described as grossly untrue and mischievous to misrepresent the remarks of the director general of the NBC at the forum as an exclusive accusation targeted against supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari. The position of the NBC on hate speech and other incendiary broadcasts remains consistent with the overarching principles and rules of global best-practice, and are aligned to the broader policy thrusts of the Federal Government of Nigeria under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the statement said.

He further explained that NBC would like to appeal strongly to its partners in both the traditional and on-line media to uphold the guiding tenets of the noble profession through objective, factual and decent reportage.

– Nov 3, 2017 @ 12:14 GMT |