NBC Opts for Signal Neutralisation of Pirate Radio, “Radio Biafra”

National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has opted to neutralise signals of Radio Biafra, as the station continues its broadcasts after the commission claimed it had successfully jammed its signals.

Emeka Mba, director-general of the commission, spoke at the first annual lecture organised by the commission in Abuja, in commemoration of its 23rd anniversary with the theme: “New Media Convergence and the Future of Broadcasting: Greedy Telcos, Naive Broadcasters and the Scramble for Spectrum.”

He denied that the commission gave the station a licence of operation.

“We didn’t give them a licence. What we are doing is to continue our own investigations. We will do what we call neutralising the signals which is currently ongoing,” he said.

The director-general vowed that those behind the operation of the illegal station would be arrested and prosecuted.

“My understanding is that they have resumed. But I don’t want to speak about this because it gives them more and more publicity.

“All I can tell you is that government may act slow, but all the people involved will all be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.

At the event, stakeholders blamed the immediate past administration for NBC’s failure to meet the July transition deadline.

Yemisi Bamgbose, chairman of Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU), expressed fears that the 2017 deadline agreed by ECOWAS countries would be mirage for Nigeria if NBC was not properly funded.

“There is no way any country can achieve migration from analogue to digital broadcasting without adequate funding of the organisation that would mid-wife it,” he said.

Mr Eddy Amana, chairman of the Federal Government digital team that worked towards achieving the migration, confirmed that the team did not get the necessary funding to achieve the migration.

“We didn’t get the support and necessary funding then,” he said.