More details have emerged on why the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), this evening, Thursday, June 6, 2019, suspended the operating licences of the African Independent Television (AIT TV) and Ray Power FM Radio belonging to the Daar Communications Group.
In a press briefing, the Director-General of NBC, Malam Is’haq Modibbo-Kawu, made it clear that upon repeated warnings, both AIT TV and Raypower FM Radio had been in the habit of “divisive and inciting contents from the social media capable of destabilizing the nation.”
NBC also made reference to the airing of a Presidential election documentary by the AIT, upon the matter was pending before a tribunal.
Additional offences included the inability of the company to pay its fees, flagrant use of social media contents capable of creating disharmony in both the polity and society.
Kawu recalled that in the last two years, the Commision had summoned the management of the company to address issues regarding the operations of AIT and Raypower; particularly Political Platform and Kakaaki.
Giving further detail from one of its meetings with the company held on June 2, 2017 Kawu expressed disaffection on the way and manner hate speech, divisive and inciting comments are applied in discussion of national issues which he said, is in breach of the provisions of the NBC Act and Broadcast Code.
Continuing, the DG averred that “They don’t pay their licence fees as and when due and its broadcast is patently partisan and one-sided and deliberately inciting and heating up the polity.
“The management of the Company has created the habit of using the channel to fight its personal battles contrary to the statutory requirements of the law.”
Besides, Kawu noted that today, June 6, AIT and Raypower embarked on the use of inflammatory, divisive, inciting broadcasts, and media propaganda against the government and the NBC for performing its statutory functions of regulating the broadcast industry in Nigeria.
He added that “Recently, NBC monitoring reports on AIT and Raypower indicate the use of divisive comments accredited to the segment of Kakaaki, tagged, ‘Kakaaki Social’ where inciting comments like, ‘Nigeria is cursed,’ ‘we declare independent state of Niger Delta’, ‘Nigeria irritates me’, ‘this country is gradually Islamising’ and other similar slogans are used without editorial control in breach of the broadcast Code.
“Consequently, after several meetings with the management of Daar Communications Plc and many letters of warning.
“The NBC, today June 6, 2019 took a decision to suspend the licence of Daar Communications Plc for failure to abide by the commission’s directives, the provisions of the NBC Act Cap N11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
“This decision is based on the provisions of Section 10 of the Third Schedule of the NBC Act Cap N11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which states that where in the opinion of the commission the station has been used in a manner detrimental to national interest.
“NBC Act also states that where there is willful or repeated failure to operate
substantially as set forth in the licence.
“Where there is wilful or repeated violation or wilful or repeated failure to observe any provision of this Act or any rule or regulation of the Commission authorised by this Act or by a treaty ratified by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Where there is violation of or failure to observe any cease and desist order issued by the Commission and where a provision of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code has been seriously breached. And the shut down order is until further notice,” the DG of NBC averred.
