Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
The National Broadcasting Commission, or NBC, has shut down more than 50 broadcast stations for reportedly failing to pay their license renewal fees, which has alarmed the Nigerian Guild of Editors, or NGE.
NGE stated that the action, if not reversed, would result in the loss of thousands of jobs in a nation where jobs are in short supply. The statement was released by its President, Mustapha Isah, and General Secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren.
The professional organization for all Nigerian editors stated in the statement: “The NGE is concerned because media outlets, which have played and continue to play a critical role in the development of democracy, cannot just go off the air for any reason.
While the Guild is not opposed to broadcast stations paying their debts to the NBC, we must point out that the NBC failed to consider the current unfavorable operating environment, which has devastated every sector of our country.
“At the moment, the high exchange rate makes it impossible for private stations to import broadcast equipment. We are all aware of the high running costs, which include the cost of the diesel used to power their generating sets, according to the NGE.
Following the licensing of hundreds of additional stations by the NBC, the Guild continued that some broadcast stations are barely making it through the intense competition in the business.
The NGE demanded that the NBC Act be reviewed in order to extend the validity of a broadcast license from five to at least 10 years.
Since there are currently several broadcast stations operating in the nation—for instance, the Lagos zone alone has close to 50 radio stations—the body of editors also argued for a reduction in license payments.
The cancellation of the operating licenses of Silverbird TV, AIT, Raypower FM, and Rhythm FM, among others, on Friday was deemed hasty by the Nigerian Union of Journalists, or NUJ.
“The decision today by Industry Regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to cancel the licenses of 52 broadcast stations nationwide over indebtedness to the commission was ill advised,” said NUJ National President Chris Isiguzo in a statement on Friday. According to NBC, the impacted stations owing N2.6 billion in license fee arrears dating back to 2015.
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) also reacted, saying in a statement by Ms. Obioma Okonkwo, Head of its Legal Department, that the NBC was prioritizing its desire to profit from the broadcasters over the interests of citizens by revoking the broadcast licenses of so many stations for alleged non-payment of their license fees, as the ultimate result of its action was to deny millions of Nigerians access to information as well as their rights and ability to freely express themselves.
According to MRA, “We are astonished by this NBC’s bare display of a lack of understanding of its primary duty, which is to contribute to the formation of a knowledge society. Instead, it has decided to foster a climate in which millions of Nigerians will languish in ignorance, denied access to the vital knowledge they require to make important decisions about their lives or to improve their standard of living.
“The action of the NBC has only exacerbated the current lopsidedness in the Nigerian broadcasting landscape, which was already dominated by government-owned broadcasting stations but is now under the monopolistic control of Federal Government-owned stations, which will be almost unchallenged, with the result that citizens will now be fed unrestricted propaganda by these remaining stations,” said one observer.
The COVID-19 outbreak and the government’s response to it have wreaked havoc on the national economy, and MRA accused NBC of being insensitive to the challenging economic conditions in which the broadcast stations have functioned over the past 2.5 years.
It stated that the inability of the government to provide an environment that is favorable for them to operate, such as providing appropriate infrastructure like electricity supply, has a negative impact on the broadcasting stations. It added that because the stations must find alternative sources of power supply even as the price of diesel keeps rising daily, they are simply struggling to survive.
“Serious concerns regarding the fairness and propriety of the fees being placed on broadcasters by the NBC in such a difficult economic situation are raised by the fact that so many broadcasting stations have been unable to pay the license fees. “There needs to be an independent investigation into this apparent conflict of interest where the commission’s motivation is apparently to make as much money for itself as possible,” the group said. “NBC is the one who imposes the fees and collects them for its own use.
The NBC was then urged to change its mind in the public interest in order to prevent building a society of mostly ignorant people. It was suggested that the NBC put Nigerians’ need for adequate media coverage above all other considerations.
