MRA urges NASS to investigate NBC activities

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has urged the National Assembly to launch an investigation into activities of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), even as it accused the body of surrendering its power to an overtly and politically partisan Minister of Information, who is bent on preventing broadcast stations from criticising state actors and political figures.

Recall that in separate letters dated February 3, 2023, NBC Director-General, Mallam Balarabe llelah, had written to the Chief Executive Officer of Arise Global Media Limited, owners of Arise News, and the Chief Executive Officer of Continental Broadcasting Service Limited, owners of TVC.

The Commission accused them of violating the Broadcasting Code in their coverage of political campaigns and gave each of them two weeks to pay a penalty of N2 million.

But in a statement, which The Guardian sighted, MRA’s Programme Officer, Maimuna Momoh, said: “It cannot be fair or just that the NBC, which wrote the Nigeria Broadcasting Code to create offences, is the complainant in the allegations of violation of the Code by broadcasting stations, investigates the alleged breaches itself, prosecutes the accused stations, sits in judgment on the matter, frequently without even giving the stations any opportunity to defend themselves against the allegations, sanctions them through the imposition of fines, which it collects as part of its revenue. This is clearly an affront to principles of fair hearing, equity and justice.”

She said the Commission has reached a damning level, where it is either being used as a weapon by the Information Minister to impede broadcasting stations from performing their constitutional role.

Noting that the NBC has sometimes claimed to be sanctioning broadcasting stations for inaccurate or untruthful reporting, she said: “It is not only ironic, but outright dangerous that the NBC is seeking to enforce truth and objectivity in the output of broadcasting stations, while it is taking directives in so doing from a partisan Minister of Information, who is notorious in this country and beyond for his own disregard for truth and objectivity.”

According to her, “if the NBC is not deterred from this its approach to regulations, Nigerians will be fed only the Minister’s version of the truth, thereby, defeating the purpose of Section 22 of the Constitution.”

She added: “An established principle guiding the operations of a regulatory authority exercising powers in the area of broadcasting is that it should be independent and adequately protected against interference of a political, commercial or other nature. Contrary to this internationally established norm, the Minister of Information continues to interfere in the regulatory functions of the NBC and frequently deploys it as a weapon with which he prevents broadcasting stations from performing their duty to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people or for punishing those that dare to do so.”