Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over the purported shutdown of 53 broadcast stations in the country for allegedly failing to renew their licenses.
Joined in the suit as a defendant is the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
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NBC had last week revoked the licenses of the 53 broadcast stations and threatened to shut down their operations within 24 hours over alleged N2.6 billion debt.
NBC later asked the stations “To pay all outstanding licence fees on or before August 23, 2022, or shut down by 12am on August 24.”
In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1582/2022 filed yesterday at the Federal High Court, Lagos, the plaintiffs asked the court to determine “Whether section 10(a) of the Third Schedule to the National Broadcasting Act used by NBC to threaten to revoke the licenses of 53 broadcast stations and shut them down is not inconsistent and incompatible with freedom of expression and access to information.”
SERAP and NGE asked the court for “A declaration that section 10(a) of the Third Schedule to the National Broadcasting Act used by NBC to threaten to revoke the licences of 53 broadcast stations and to shut down the broadcast stations is unconstitutional and unlawful, as it violates freedom of expression.
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