Chief Raymond Dokpesi, the founding chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, which houses media organizations such as AIT (Africa Independent Television) and Rawpower FM, has accused the federal government and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) of deliberately attacking his organizations without any justifiable reason.
This came as shut down African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower FM indefinitely yesterday, according to Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, director-general of NBC.
Reacting to the shutdown, Dokpesi complained that employees in the two organizations are consistently being scrutinized unfairly.
The chairman further stated that there are reports that media officers working in the organizations are now being tailed once they leave work, causing many of them to feel unsafe.
Dokpesi stated that apart from the infringement on privacy being experienced, the Federal Capital Development Agency had demolished the fence of DAAR headquarters in Abuja.
Expressing his dissatisfaction to newsmen in the FCT, Dokpesi stated, “I believe very strongly that under the leadership of the current Director General of the NBC (Is’haq Kawu), press freedom has been greatly eroded. If this was not protected by the President at the top, is it possible that his body language is being interpreted?
“I have it on strict authority and very assured information that the highest echelons of government, the Presidency, queried and challenged the NBC that they were not doing their jobs: ‘How on earth could they be hearing and seeing on AIT what they termed hate speech?’
“Any criticism of this government is hate speech. The NBC is acting under the authority of the President and Commander-in-Chief.”
Dokpesi was at the Ministry of Information and Culture, the Embassy of the United States of America, the British High Commission, the European Union and the United Nations Office in Abuja, where he complained that the Federal Government of Nigeria was attempting to gag the press.
The NBC had in separate letters to DAAR Communications Plc, dated May 27, 2019, signed by NBC’s Director of Broadcast Monitoring, Armstrong Idachaba, accused the company of using contents from social media in one of AIT’s flagship programmes, Kakaaki.
The broadcasting regulator said the content aired by AIT was offensive, unfair and unprofessional.
It also frowned at a report by DAAR Communications plc titled ‘Nigeria Judiciary on Trial: Lessons from Kenya’.
