Minister Harps on Local Content during Family Belt

Prof. Dora Akunyili, minister of information and communications has harped on the need for terrestrial broadcasters to air programmes rich in local content during the family belt period which is between 7-10pm.
Speaking at a forum organized by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in Enugu themed: “Achieving Nigerian Content during the Family Belt on Terrestrial Television: Challenges and Prospects,” the minister enjoined broadcast stations to air programmes which portray the country in a positive light.
“We must appreciate the goodness in our people and highlight the positive aspects of our society.  We do not need to tell lies, but we also do not need to over-emphasize the negative aspects of our society,” she explained.
Our case she said is even worse as we not only struggling to get the right equipment, but have very few programmes on women, children and youths. “With sufficient quality to engage that segment of society; and they are therefore, pushed conveniently into the waiting arms of foreign stations, which feed them with objectionable content. Things are so bad that some of our leading stations, now show cheap and discarded foreign soap operas and musicals with very little positive values to contribute to our impressionable youngsters during the family belt; that is, the time when fathers, mothers and their children are the captive audiences. This is completely unacceptable!” Akunyili declared.
According to her, with the advent of digital broadcasting, which will free up more frequencies for broadcasting and other services, the need has become more acute for more programmes to fill the increased available airtime.  “Broadcast stations would therefore need to gear up to face the challenges of providing adequate and qualitative programmes that meet the needs of Nigerians for information, education and entertainment.”
In his welcome address, Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, director general, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), emphasized on the importance of broadcasting to a nation, as a means of creating and maintaining a people’s national identity and promoting their cultural heritage.
He said: “The family belt, otherwise known as the Prime Time viewing period therefore, requires all television stations to broadcast programmes that are not only suitable for general family viewing but also promote national values, ideals and aspirations of this country.”
“Prime time period on television, running from 7.00pm to 10.00pm, requires that stations devote most of that family viewing belt to local or Nigerian content and productions, which protect and project this country’s cultural values, norms and our national identity,” he added.
The NBC boss observed that prime time period on virtually all the country’s television stations today have been taken over by foreign movies and soap operas, which glorify strange values and acts that sometimes offend African cultural sensibilities. “Cheap Mexican soap operas with themes and undertones of immoral behaviour, marital infidelity and incestuous relationships running through them have become the dominant content on most stations’ prime time telecast.”
Bolarinwa noted that the NBC has sent a circular to all television stations in the country, giving them a deadline of April 2009 to stop airing foreign content in the family belt; underscoring the Commission’s seriousness on the issue of family belt.
A keynote address delivered by the celebrated film and broadcast guru, Amaka Igwe, focused on local content, its role in broadcasting and how Nigerian content can be re-engineered for the achievement of a better society.
She said: “In this stage of our national development, it is important to use content to push national philosophy, ideology and agenda, and as a tool for behavioral and attitudinal change just as the Americans did in 1955.”
“Nigerians certainly need behavioral and attitudinal changes. We as Nigerians have to believe again in the country of our birth; we have to relive the glorious of our heroes and history; we have to appreciate and appreciate our rich cultural heritage; we have to recognize our potentials as a people, pushing the positives and downplaying the negatives,” Igwe added.