The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined
Continental Broadcasting Services Limited, owners of Television Continental
(TVC), for airing “hate speech and inflammatory comments”.
In a letter dated February 3 and signed by Balarabe Ilelah,
NBC director-general, the commission said it monitored TVC’s “consistent”
breach of the Nigeria broadcasting code regarding the coverage of activities
for the general election.
The commission said “hate speech, inflammatory, derogatory
and unfair comments” have been broadcast by the station, adding that the trend
had become a house style on TVC.
The commission cited references to a media briefing by
Festus Keyamo, the spokesperson of the All Progressives Council (APC)
presidential campaign council, as well as comments by Bola Tinubu, APC
presidential candidate.
“On 06/01/23 at
12:29PM, the Joint Media Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council
made the following comments while briefing the media. Festus Keyamo: ‘…Obasanjo
and Atiku run a criminal enterprise, an empire of fraud in Abuja. At the same
time that Ahmed Bola Asiwaju was toiling hard, beautifully and meticulously to
rebuild Lagos, 2 criminals were stealing money in Abuja at the time… they both
stole from the SPV account at that time.’ Speaking about the whistleblower,
Micheal Achimugu, he said, ‘We suspect that some goons of Atiku Abubakar are
planning eliminate him and members of his family. In fact, my big brother FFK
actualy hinted me about something like that yesterday’,” the letter reads.
“On 24/01/23 at 03:39PM, during the APC Presidential Rally
in Abia State. The APC Presidential Candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu after telling
the public to vote APC under the symbol of broom, he went on to make the
following comment ‘…You know what you do with the rest of them? They are like
lizards, cockroaches and mosquitoes. Just take the broom, wipe them off’.
“On 31/01/23 at 02:37pm, during the All Progressives
Congress (APC) rally which held in Anambra State. The Party’s Presidential
Candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also made the following remarks: ‘When you hear
Atiku use the word Muslim and say ‘Wallahi, Talahi, you know what is in his
heart? ‘na lie I lie’. Anytime you hear Atiku say Wallahi Talahi, just reply
him say, na lie you lie’.”
The NBC also made reference to a comment by Tinubu during
the APC rally in Anambra, during which he referred to Peter Obi, presidential
candidate of Labour Party (LP), as a person who cannot keep promise.
The commission also accused TVC of not giving equal coverage
to all political parties.
“On 10th October, 2022, your station started its news with
17 minutes of APC news and 1 minutes of PDP story with a video clip that did
not play,” the commission added.
The NBC, therefore, asked TVC to pay a fine of N2 million
within two weeks of the receipt of the letter.
Similarly, in a letter to Arise Global Media Limited NBC said “for
avoidance of doubt, some of such unprofessional broadcasts are listed below for
your perusal.
“On the 24th of January, 2023, between 1.00pm – 2.27pm,
Arise TV aired Presidential campaign Rally of PDP which held in Delta State,
replete with unfair remarks and mockery of the APC presidential Candidate by
DINO Melaye. Mr. Melaye sang a song “…hand dey shake, leg dey shake, baba wey
no well, e dey shout emilokan” he further went on to fall down demonstrating
the frailty of the APC presidential Candidate.
“Arise TV did not only air the programme but repeated the
distasteful clip of Dino Melaye in a mockery of the APC Presidential candidate
in another programme anchored by Ojy Okpe What’s Trending. The Presenter and
her Colleagues had a good laugh over such unfair treatment of another.
“On the 26th January 2023, at 9.40am, during the programme
Morning Show, a guest, Na’jaatu Muhammed described the Presidential Candidate
of APC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as mentally deranged without caution from the
anchor. The Guest had a field day with vituperations against the Presidential
Candidate of the APC. She referred to him as Senile.
“On 31-01-2023 at 3:30pm, during the broadcast of the PDP
Presidential Rally in Sokoto State, Dino melaye referred to the Vice
Presidential Candidate of APC, Kashim Shettima as GCOB, meaning Grand Commander
of Bandits.
“During the same Campaign, PDP Presidential chieftain, Dino
Malaye said, “we should be happy that our candidate’s hands don’t shake, his
legs don’t shake and he doesn’t have a bell that rings in his head” he further
said, “if APC come for campaign, sing a song after them saying, APC are
bed-wetters…” then he said again, “…his name is not Bola, his name is bola”
(the difference is in pronunciation, later meaning dustbin).
“Hajiya Naja’atu in the same broadcast said, “We are not
going to vote for hypocrites, the one that lied that he is a muslim, but he
doesn’t know how to recite the suratul fatiha. We are not going to vote for an
illiterate that doesn’t know anything, if people insist on voting him then they
should also get ready to allow him lead them in prayers…”
He therefore said “consequently, pursuant to the
aforementioned Sections of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Arise TV is hereby
sanctioned and shall pay a penalty of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira Only).
“Note that the penalty shall be paid within 2 weeks of the
receipt of this Letter or sanction shall be graduated.
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Reading these, the both stations deserve to be fined. Who monitors the newspapers then?
ReplyDeleteThank you sir/ma, who is morning the News papers and social media together with online Medias
ReplyDelete