International Press Centre (IPC) and the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have expressed reservations over the N5million fine imposed on Nigeria Info 99.3 FM Lagos, by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
NBC had alleged that the radio 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”
Specifically, NBC had cited alleged unprofessional conduct of Nigeria Info 99.3FM, in the handling of the Programme, “Morning Cross Fire”, aired on August 10, 2020, between 8.30am and 9.00am.
Executive Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, said in a statement that NBC gave the impression that it was the Radio Station that put the words in the mouth of the guest and went on to impose a fine without any evidence whatsoever that the alleged statement had degraded any person or groups of persons, which would have amounted to hate speech.
“Even if a case of hate speech can be established, it is totally out of place in a democratic setting that NBC would be the one to accuse, prosecute and judge its own case against the station”, Arogundade said.
Arogundade therefore said that the hefty fine represented an assault on media independence, freedom of expression and the right of citizens to know about issues of public interest.
The IPC boss demanded the immediate reversal of the decision saying that was the only path of honour left for the NBC to follow having embarrassed itself with the unreasonable fine against the radio station
Similarly,, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), condemned the action of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
“We are seriously concerned by this latest development in Nigeria of a supposed media regulatory body taking the country down a dangerous path of official censorship by constituting itself into a legislature making criminal law and acting at the same time as an accuser, a prosecutor and the judge in its own cause. This situation is an affront to the rules of natural justice,” MRA said in a statement issued in Lagos and signed by its Programme Director, Mr. Ayode Longe.
MRA noted that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed recently announced at the unveiling of the revised Nigerian Broadcasting Code that the Federal Government had increased the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5 million and a few days later, the NBC was already abusing the provision to censor a media organization without due process for a broadcast that cannot be defined as hate speech under any circumstance.
“We are aware that the NBC is empowered to make regulations for the conduct and operations of broadcast stations in Nigeria, but it cannot usurp the legislative powers of the National Assembly, the prosecutorial powers of the Executive and the judicial powers of the courts by making laws, interpreting the laws, imposing punishment and executing its judgment as it has done in this case. Such action is obscene and offensive, particularly in a democracy,” Longe added.
MRA noted that it was appalling that in its haste, apparently to do the bidding of the Minister of Information and punish Nigeria Info 99.3FM, the NBC disregarded the due process provisions in its own regulations and rushed to judgment without conducting any investigation or awaiting the outcome of investigations by any other law enforcement or security agency or giving the radio station adequate time and opportunity to defend itself against the absurd charge of hate speech in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution.
It called on the NBC to rescind its decision, saying it would only subject itself to public and international ridicule by failing to do so and trigger a wave of global condemnation of Nigeria that the country can ill-afford.