Media must be conducted in national interest, sense of duty, professionalism—NBC DG
The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr Is’haq Modibbo Kawu has opened the 2019 National Broadcast Summit in Calabar, with a charge to stakeholders to always conduct their programming and offerings with high sense of national interest, duty and professionalism.
Addressing participants drawn from broadcast houses across the federation, Kawu said “We are meeting within the context of the frightening security environment in our country today. This situation is reflected in the content of programming and news reportage, on radio and television, and in the media in general. That is how it should be.
Continuing, he added that “The media exists, to assist people to know, as well as understand the issues in their society, in order to help make informed choices in their lives. That is the reason that media in general, must be conducted with the greatest sense of duty, as well as the highest levels of professionalism. The context is also vital. In a democratic society, the media and their rights to freely operate are constitutionally-guaranteed. This is recognized by the NIGERIA BROADCASTING CODE.”
NBC boss averred that “In the context of the democratic development of our country, and against the backdrop of the emergent security imperatives that we all confront today, Broadcasting faces real challenges.
“The manner that the media in general, and broadcasting in particular, have profiled, conditioned and deepened fear and prejudices, in the context of Nigeria’s emergent security challenges, has been frightening. We don’t have to go farther, than in the ongoing profiling of the Fulbe nomads in particular, and Fulbe people in general. Yet, THE CODE in the CHARACTER OF BROADCASTING, 0.2.1. had admonished that: “no broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder, be repugnant to public feeling or contain an offensive reference to an person, alive or dead, or generally, be disrespectful to human dignity”. At the NBC, we keep very meticulous records of the breaches of THE NIGERIA BROADCASTING CODE, and on a quarterly basis, we release that record to the industry and the general public. This is in fact, one of the many reasons why we endeavor to organize forums like this in Calabar. We hope that at the end of today’s Summit, we would have deepened our perspectives on the relevant issues around BROADCASTING AND DEMOCRACY: EMERGING SECURITY IMPERATIVES in Nigeria,” NBC DG noted.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Deaconess Grace Gekpe, congratulated NBC for consistently organizing the national Broadcast Summit and commended the fourth edition which is ongoing and highly commendable.
Represented by the Executive Director, News at NTA, Mr Muhammad Labbo, the Perm Sec noted that “The theme of this year’s summit; ‘BROADCASTING AND DEMOCRACY: EMERGING SECURITY IMPERATIVES,’ is apt as it seeks to examine the role of broadcasting in Nigeria’s democracy vis-à-vis emerging security imperatives”.
“The 2019 general elections have come and gone, but the aftermaths are issues of daily reports in the media, particularly the broadcast media. These issues have led to lingering litigations and constitute a distraction to governance.
Accordingly, she said “This gathering is therefore important for broadcasters to rub minds and project the production of positive content which binds us as a nation rather than divide us.
“The continuous projection of negative and bias reportage to create malaise in the society, will do no one any good. Therefore, the NBC should enforce relevant provisions of the Broadcasting Act and refuse to be cowed by the blackmail of guilty industry operators who take refuge in constitutionalism to propagate hate speech and other acts that widen our fault lines,” Gekpe averred.
