NBC tasks broadcasters in Kano, others on ‘public interest’ reportage

The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has reiterated its call for broadcast stations to put public interest as the focus of their reportage of security issues.

This is coming after the backlash that trailed the July amendments of the NBC Act and the Nigerian Press Council Act at the National Assembly, with the media industry describing the move as a plan to achieve “information blackout”.

But speaking on Monday in Kano during a meeting with Chief Executive Officers (EOs) of broadcasting stations for states in the North West and North East, the Director General of NBC, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, said the commission was not out to censor the media, but only to regulate.

The DG also said broadcasters must be wary of falling prey to tricks of fake news so as to avoid the sledgehammer of the regulator that came in form of sanctions; stressing that broadcasting licenses were held in trust on behalf of the public.

But Hajiya Sa’a Ibrahim, the DG of Kano State-owned Abubakar Rimi Television (ARTv), who is also the Chairperson of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), said it was obvious her organisation and NBC were still not on the same page, noting that what was needed was more interface between NBC and the broadcasters.

Ahmad Bagari