For As Long As The Broadcast Regulator Takes Directives From The Minister, There Would Always Be A Problem Because The Minister Is A Politician Says Frm. DG-NTA, Prof. Tonnie Iredia

A Professor of broadcast management as well as the former Director-General of the Nigeria Television Authority, Prof. Tonnie Iredia has bared his mind on the recent directive from the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) which is the regulatory agency for radio and television stations in the country.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, was reported to have issued a directive to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) which is the regulatory agency for radio and television stations in the country which he says is based on the recommendations of a seven-man committee, covering a wide range of issues including the need for the NBC to implement a measure that will reposition the broadcast industry, create jobs, create local contents and formulate regulations for the online media. NBC is also expected to come up with a regulation for international broadcasters beaming signals into Nigeria and hate speech.

Other directives include the regulation of human resources and staff welfare, funding for the implementation of the reforms, monitoring, independence of the regulator and ease of issuing licence as well as competition and monopoly issues. NBC has also been directed to ensure that broadcasters utilize the content and services of the Nigerian Independence in line with the regulatory requirement for 70% local content.

Prof. Tonnie Iredia bared his mind during an interview at Channels television, To him, it is too early to begin to think of what benefits would come. He said all the issues that have been raised are quite good and the idea of sports rights, the local content, providing jobs and all of that are all good but the benefits would materialize only if what the minister is saying will be done.

The eminent professor, however, expressed his reservation and suggested independence for the broadcasting regulator. He said:

“The problem I have with the broadcast regulatory framework in Nigeria is the main issue of the autonomy of the broadcast regulator. For as long as the broadcast regulator takes directives from the minister, for that would there be a problem because the minister is a politician and the tendency for him to issue directives that would favour his partisan interest cannot be ruled out. But more importantly, the broadcast regulator cannot be managed on a day by day basis by a politician, the chief executive of the NBC or CEO or Director-General cannot be a politician because broadcast is a political issue. Political broadcast is the main issue in broadcasting and if the broadcaster is not an impartial personality, the tendency would be for him to engage in political vendetta, engage in pursuit of opponents of government of the day. So, the issue of autonomy is the main one. All these other issues that have been narrated in the last couple of hours would fall in place if the NBC is an autonomous, independent regulatory authority that is premised on professionalism and excellence.”

When asked as to what he foresees in the implementation of the recommendation, specifically, the regulation of the web, online television and radio and also international broadcasters beaming signals into Nigeria, he said those issues are integral to regulation. Besides, to him a competent body does not need directive as the body knows what ought to be done. Prof. Tonnie says the things that Lai Mohammed had listed are things that a proper regulator who is a professional who understands the meaning of broadcast would be able to do without anybody directing him.

” …But the problem is by the time you begin to do directives, for example, the minister as at today is supposed to give directive to the NBC but this directive was revealed to the rest of us. He should have sent the directive to the NBC. The fact that he is beaming it to the rest of the world already indicates it to me, who has been in this industry for a long time, that perhaps the NBC is not even listening to the minister. So, he wants to tell the rest of us that I have told them what this is what they should do, so they have to do it. He didn’t need to tell the rest of us, he should have just sent. But even then, we cannot contradict ourselves, if we say NBC should be independent, it should not get directives from anybody.” The prof. added

On how easy it would be to implement the recommendations regarding competition and monopoly issue, more especially the one that has to do with exclusivity rights in sports broadcasting, the veteran doubted whether the government itself understood the intricacies of sports right. He says ”If somebody has a right, is likely difficult for you to begin to direct him on how he is going to handle that right because is something you bid for and you get it. And to come and issue a directive on how the right can be distributed to avoid monopoly is to be laboring the question.”

He added that exclusivity rights are the things that Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria and Association of Professionals will work together in partnership to ensure that when there is sports right, it is for the benefit of everybody in the jurisdiction so that a large number of Nigerians, for example, can watch matches. “The matches we watch in this country are not popular because television stations don’t show them to us even when it involves Nigeria we don’t watch them. so, stopping monopoly is not by issuing directives, is by ensuring that there is collaboration and then cooperation among the practitioners which can come from professional associations, not from directives.” He concluded