The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Malam Is’haq Modibbo-Kawu on Friday intimated stakeholders on how far the Commission under his leadership has helped sanitized the Nigerian broadcast media space since assuming office in 2016.
Kawu spoke on Friday in a parley with top media executives (including TheNewsGuru’s publisher, Mideno Bayagbon).
The DG noted that since taking over the affairs of the commission in 2016, his priority has been ensuring that the Nigerian broadcast media is independent yet accountable for every bit of material/programme transmitted on air.
Launch of New Broadcasting Code
The NBC under Karu’s leadership has launched a new edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, the sixth in its series. Kawu on Friday explained that the code was launched last week in Kano.
According to him, the code has been strengthened to enhance professionalism and development in Nigeria’s broadcast industry.
TNG reports that Nigeria’s broadcast industry has continued to evolve over the years. But the industry has suffered a few setbacks, which the National Broadcasting Commission is seeking to address through its series of Broadcasting codes.
The Nigeria broadcasting code was first launched in 1993, to enable broadcast operators to self regulate and ensure the highest form of professionalism in the broadcast industry and has since been reviewed every 5 years.
According to Karu, the new code has three special features which distinguishes it from previous editions. First; it strengthens the commission to fully curb spread of hate speeches, fake news and other sensitive materials not suitable for public consumption. It also invest in the commission the power to sanction erring broadcast media outfits.
Secondly, the new code statutorily requires that 70 per cent of broadcast materials be localized.
For business profitability and growth of the Nigerian Professional League, the new code mandates local investors to consider investment opportunities in local leagues before investing in foreign leagues.
Digital Switch Over
Speaking on the progress and challenges so far made on the Digital Switch Over, DSO (a term given to the process of changing from analogue to digital Television broadcasting), Kawu said the implementation of the DSO across the federation dragged much more than expected because of low funding coupled with scarce technical-know-how resources. Hence the decision by the commission to implement in batches starting with a pilot phase in Jos (April, 2016) and Abuja (December, 2016).
Modbbo-Kawu also said that President Muhammadu Buhari remained fully committed to the DSO project.
He said that the commission was working on the installation of facilities in Gombe, adding that “our stakeholders are determined to move into the biggest media markets in Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt in the nearest future”.
This, he said, was part of a nationwide roll out plan, including a definitive timeline for the switch-off of analogue transmission in Jos, Abuja, Ilorin, Kaduna, Enugu and Oshogbo.
“A new timetable will be released as soon as it is approved by the board of the commission,’’ the director-general said.
Sanctions/relationship with licencees
The DG explained that the commission owe to the nation and her citizens to ensure unbiased and fair reportage of events at all times by all broadcast stations stations in the country, hence, the 24-hour surveillance by the commission on activities of all broadcast stations in the country.
“We will continue to operate at a professional level; as a lawful regulatory body for broadcasting in Nigeria, we will not stop engaging our licensees.
“However, we do not relate with the licensees on the basis of their political affiliations or any other subjective platform.
“We hold our licensees to account only on the basis of their fidelity to the Nigerian Broadcasting Code. We are also opposed to the persistent refusal by many licensees to fulfil their own obligations.
“There is also a strange sense of entitlement that is expressed through name calling, blackmail and anger,’’ Modibbo-Kawu said.
“I want to reiterate that there is no licensee that is too big or small to be regulated. We are not, and we will never be, a censorship institution.
“The NBC Act has not given us such powers and neither did the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.
“We remain a regulatory agency that is committed to ensuring that the Nigerian broadcasting impacts positively on setting the agenda for the social, cultural, economic, political and technological development of our nation.
“In doing that, we shall ensure no broadcasting organisation incites, engender public disorder or is generally disrespectful to human dignity.
“Our regulatory duties is to ensure that broadcasting in Nigeria adheres to the general principles of legality, decency, integrity, truth and respect for human dignity as well as the cultural, moral and social drives of the people,” he said.
TheNewsGuru is published by Kingdom Media Network Int’l Nigeria Limited. TheNewsGuru, a multi-media company, started as Nigeria’s first comprehensive, real online newspaper, TheNewsGuru.com [read more]
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