The National Broadcasting Commission on Monday wielded its big stick on Channels Television by ordering an immediate stoppage of one of its programmes, ‘Politics Today’, with a fine N5 million for breaching the broadcast code.
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In a letter to the Managing Director of Channels Television signed by the Acting Director-General of the Commission, NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, the Commission referred to Channels 7 pm live broadcast programme of Sunday, 25th April, 2021, in which it accused the TV station of allowing a leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra, IPOB to make secessionist and inciting declarations on air without caution or reprimand by the station contrary to the broadcast code.
The commission said it took the decision following the live interview the station had with the spokesperson for the Indigenous People of Biafra, Emma Powerful.
The acting Director-General of NCC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, took the decision in a letter to the Managing Director of Channels TV titled, ‘Inciting Comments By Proscribed Group: Politics Today’
Mr Amstrong added that such act contravenes broadcast code.
It also accused the station of allowing the guest speaker to make derogatory, false and misleading statements about the Nigerian army, despite being proscribed by a court of law.
The NBC DG said the IPOB programme content “amounts to subversion of constituted authority.”
“In the programme, a so called new leader of IPOB made several secessionist and inciting declarations on air without caution or reprimand by your station. He also made derogatory, false and misleading statements about the Nigerian Army,” the April 26 letter read.
“This is reprehensible, especially that IPOB remains a proscribed organisation as pronounced by the law courts of the land. This much Channels ought to know and respect.
“The programme was very clearly in violation of the provisions of the code, and extant provisions of the broadcasting act. Refer Sections 3.11.1(b) and 5.43 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code which state the following; ‘311 1(b) The Broadcaster shall ensure that no programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign state.’
“For obviously breaching the above provisions of the law, your station remains liable to sanctions provided in section 15 of the code which prescribes among others — suspension of broadcast licence and a fine of N5 million.
Idachaba added that the station needs to be ethical and professional “especially at times of crisis”.
“Please ensure an immediate stop to the programme,” he said.
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