Again, NBC Threatens to Sanction AIT, DAAR Communications

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has threatened to sanction the African Independent Television (AIT) if the station fails to desist from airing programmes that focus on the ongoing legal challenge of the 2019 presidential election.

The regulator in a statement issued via its official Twitter account,@nbcgovng, on Thursday warned that it had granted the station enough grace to comply with the broadcasting code and would have itself to blame should the hammer fall on them. 

The statement reads, “Our monitoring activities indicate that some stations, especially AIT, are deliberately meddling in the cases before the election tribunal, it is trite knowledge that the media cannot comment on or discuss the details of any matter in court. (Section 1.16.1(f) of the NB Code).

In the last few months, our monitoring reports indicate that AIT has continued to air programmes that dwell on the on-going case of the presidential elections, & issues relating to matters in law courts, without regards to the provisions of the NB Code & extant laws.

“Management of DAAR Communications was invited for a discussion at the NBC headquarters on 5th September, 2019, over their flagrant disregard of the NB Code and consenting court settlement, between the regulator and licensee.

“The Commission wants the Nigerian people to know that the NBC has given AIT enough opportunity to walk the straight and narrow path of compliance with the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

The Commission wishes to state that, AIT would unfortunately be the architect of its own fate, if it persists with the breaches of the instrument of regulation of the Nigerian broadcasting industry and that is the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.”