National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has sanctioned 25 stations and issued final warnings to 16 others for violating provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code during the February 25,2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Consequently, the regulator charged broadcasters on professionalism during this weekend’s governorship and legislative polls.
It reminded broadcast stations that political campaigns and jingles must stop tomorrow, while only results announced by an authorised electoral officer must be aired.
NBC Director General, Balarabe Ilelah, who spoke yesterday in Abuja, explained that a station was sanctioned for broadcasting outcome of the election before Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announcement, thus contravening Section 5.33 of the NBC Code, while 17 others were axed for broadcasting partisan content after the prescribed 24-hour stoppage time, adding that four outfits got punished for divisive comments.
He said in the course of monitoring the just concluded presidential election, NBC noticed that some stations allowed their platforms to be used by guests, callers and analysts to score political points inimical to “our corporate existence,” adding that ethnic and religious profiling became awfully rampant.
Ilelah urged broadcast stations to exercise freedom of expression as agents of society, not for promotion of any personal or sectional rights, privileges and that of their proprietors, relatives or supporters, as highlighted in Section 3.1.3 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
He warned that the regulator could not be intimidated by anybody, advising civil society organisations (CSOs) to allow it do its job.
