Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has reminded broadcasters and all stakeholders of the importance of upholding professionalism, fairness, accuracy, responsibility and strict compliance to guidelines in line with the nation’s Broadcasting Code and relevant electoral laws.

The NBC Director General, Charles Ebuebu, said every broadcast should inform, educate, and encourage peaceful and responsible participationwhile promoting national unity and respect for democratic values.

Speaking at 2026 Nigerian Electronic Media Content Exhibition and Awards (NEMCEA) held in Lagos last week, he stressed need to invest and protect local content policy.

To him, there is need for the country’s broadcasting and electronic media industry to move beyond content production and focus increasingly on distribution, monetisation, audience measurement and the global export of authentic Nigerian stories.

Speaking further, he noted NEMCEA comes at a particularly important time for the industry, which is undergoing significant transformation driven by digitisation, changing audience behaviour, Artificial Intelligence (AI), emerging content distribution models and the growing influence of digital creators.

He noted that the conversation in the industry can no longer be limited to how much content is produced, but must increasingly focus on the quality of content, how effectively it is distributed and monetised, and the capacity to take Nigerian stories to audiences across the world.

Ebuebu further identified the intersection between Digital Switch Over (DSO) and audience measurement as an area of particular strategic importance to the NBC.

Saying reliable audience data will increasingly become critical currency in the emerging digital broadcasting economy, he added this would determine how content is valued, where advertising investments are directed, how broadcasters compete and how producers make programming decisions.

As Nigeria advances its digital broadcasting transformation, Ebuebu stressed the need to build not only digital transmission infrastructure but also the data and commercial infrastructure required to make the emerging ecosystem sustainable.

Commending NEMCEA organisers for providing a platform where critical conversations could be interrogated, Ebuebu also emphasised the importance of protecting and maximising the value of Nigerian content.

To him, Nigeria’s rich content and cultural resources have enormous commercial potential, but this potential cannot be fully realised without effective intellectual property protection, stronger monetisation structures, investment, professional risk management and improved access to international markets.

He reaffirmed commitment of NBC to continue working with government institutions, industry associations, broadcasters, content creators, technology providers and other stakeholders to foster a regulatory environment that encourages innovation, investment, professionalism, healthy competition and responsible broadcasting.

In conclusion, Ebuebu disclosed that the nation’s ambition must be to build a media industry that is not only capable of telling compelling Nigerian stories but also able to convert the stories into sustainable economic value and confidently take them to the global market.