The fine, according
to the commission, was for providing its platform to be used to promote
unverifiable and inciting views that can incite crime, public disorder.
A former
presidential aspirant, Obadiah Mailafia, had while speaking on the station
alleged that a northern state governor is a commander of the terror group, Boko
Haram.
The full press
statement from NBC management:
The National
Broadcasting Commission has noted with grave concern, the unprofessional
conduct of Nigeria Info 99.3FM, Lagos, in the handling of the Programme,
“Morning Cross Fire”, aired on August 10, 2020, between 8.30am and 9.00am. The
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.
The Commission,
again, wishes to reiterate that Broadcasters hold Licenses in trust for the
people.
Therefore, no
Broadcast Station should be used, to promote personal or sectional interests at
the expense of the people.
Dr. Mailafia
Obadia’s comments on the “Southern Kaduna Crisis” were devoid of facts and by
broadcasting same to the public, Nigeria Info 99.3FM, is in violation of the
following sections of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code:
3.1.1 No broadcast
shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be
repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference to any person or
organisation, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity;
3.1.2 Broadcasting
shall promote human dignity, therefore, hate speech is prohibited;
3.3.1 (a) The
broadcaster shall ensure that any information given in a programme, in whatever
form, is accurate;
3.3.3.1(b) The Broadcaster
shall ensure that all sides to any issue of public interest are equitably
presented for fairness and balance;
3.11.1(a) The
broadcaster shall ensure that language or scene likely to encourage or incite
to crime, or lead to disorder, is not broadcast;
3.11.1(b) No
programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted
authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a
sovereign state;
5.4.1(f) The
Broadcaster shall not transmit divisive materials that may threaten or
compromise the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a sovereign
state.
Consequent on these
provisions and in line with the amendment of the 6th edition of the Nigeria
Broadcasting Code, Nigeria Info 99.3FM Lagos, has been fined the sum of
N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira), only.
This is expected to
serve as a deterrent to all other broadcast stations in Nigeria who are quick
to provide platform for subversive rhetorics and the expositions of spurious
and unverifiable claims, to desist from such.
The Commission
wishes to put it on record that it will not hesitate to suspend the Broadcast
Licence of broadcast stations that continue to breach the Code.
Stations are, by
this statement, admonished to desist forthwith, from airing unwholesome
content, or be ready to face appropriate sanctions. (NAN)
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