NBC Hammers 35 Broadcast Stations Over 2011 Polls

Mark Ojiah, director of Spectrum Administration, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said the agency sanctioned 35 broadcast stations for violation of the Nigerian broadcasting code during the 2011 general elections.

He stated this while delivering a lecture titled ‘2015 general elections: ensuring fairness, decency and access in broadcast media at a sensitisation meeting in Abuja yesterday.

Ojiah said, “Thirty-five broadcast stations were sanctioned for various breaches including advertisement less than 24 hours to voting; undue advantage to some parties in programmes; and non-equitable airtime.”

Others offences that attracted the wrath of the regulator included negative adverts; speculation or announcement of results; and non-keeping of logs of political programmes.

In an interview with newsmen, Emeka Mbah, director general of the agency, confirmed that some stations had also been sanctioned in the ongoing preparations for the February elections, advised broadcast stations to sign an agreement with political parties before airing live campaign broadcasts.

Mbah said broadcast stations could avoid running foul of the law by signing agreement with political parties to enable them to take out provocative statements especially during live broadcasts.

He equally admitted that the regulatory agency had concerns with several phone-in programmes as well as many stations owned by state governments that thrived on impunity and those that failed to give access to opposition parties.

Mbah said, “Day by day, there are minor breaches. No one in the industry will like to risk their investment in the broadcast industry. Where we tend to have issues are largely the television stations that are owned by state governments.

“We also have issues with phone in programmes and life political broadcasts. Other areas we have problems are the paid for political campaigns, where people go on soap box and say things largely because they think they have paid for such, they can say all sorts of things.

“We are not saying people cannot pay you for you to go on live broadcasting; we all need the money. The responsibility for what goes on air at the end of the day, however, rests with the broadcaster and not the politician or the party that has paid for it.”