By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) on Tuesday strongly condemned attempt by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to muzzle free speech in the country.
NGE’s angst was aroused by NBC’s threat to Channels Television over an interview it granted the spokesperson of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Emma Powerful.
Powerful had featured on Channels programme, Politics Today, on Sunday, April 25, 2021, to talk about the killing of the group’s military commander, Ikonso, and sundry issues.
But in a letter to the Managing Director of Channels Television which was signed by the Acting Director-General of NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, on Monday, April 26, the regulatory agency accused the television station of allowing Powerful to make secessionist and inciting declarations on air without caution or reprimand contrary to the broadcast code.
The Commission further alleged that in spite of the fact that IPOB has been proscribed by a court of law, Channels TV allowed its spokesperson to make what it called “derogatory, false and misleading statements about the Nigerian army.”
According to NBC, the interview hosted by Seun Okinbaloye on the live programme “Politics Today” on Sunday night, was in contravention of several of the broadcast codes and extant laws of the land.
The letter reads in part: “We refer to the broadcast of your programme of Sunday, the 25th April, 2021, 7 pm. In the programme, a so-called new leader of IPOB made several secessionist and inciting declarations on air without caution or reprimand by your station. He also made derogatory, false and misleading statements about the Nigerian army.
“This is reprehensible; especially that IPOB remains a proscribed organization as pronounced by the courts of the land. This much, Channels TV ought to know and respect. The programme was very clearly in violation of the provisions of the Code, and extant provisions of the Broadcasting Act.
“Refer, sections 3.11.1{b} and 5.4.3 of the Code which state the following: 3.11.1 (b) says: ‘‘The broadcaster shall ensure that no programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of the constituted authority or compromises the unity of corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign state.
“Section 5.4.3: In reporting conflict situations, the broadcaster shall perform the role of a peace agent by adhering to the principle of responsibility, accuracy and neutrality.’’
Continuing, the letter reads: ‘‘Please also note that broadcasting is expected to influence society positively, setting the agenda for the social, cultural, economic, political and technological development of a nation for the public good (section 0.2.1 of the Code).
“Similarly, the Broadcasting Act in section 9 mandates the holder of a license to use it to promote national interest, unity and cohesion and it shall not be used to offend the religious sensibilities or promote ethnicity, sectionalism, hatred and disaffection among the people of Nigeria.
“For obviously breaching the above provisions of the law, your station remains liable to sanctions provided in section 15 of the code which prescribes among others – suspension of broadcast license and a fine of N5million.
“Please be reminded that your station owes the country the responsibility for a truly professional and ethical guided broadcast station, especially at times of crisis. Please ensure an immediate stop of the programme.”
But the Nigerian Guild of Editors in a statement by Mustapha Isah, President, and Mary Atolagbe, General Secretary, said it would not stand by and watch while regulatory agencies in the country threaten media houses and their operations.
“The body of editors reiterates that press freedom is threatened when media houses are made to operate in an atmosphere of fear,” the statement read.
“The Guild stands with Channels Television and will go to any length to defend press freedom in Nigeria.
“The body of editors views the NBC letter to Channels Television as double standards, because stations that aired Sheikh Gumi’s parley with terrorists in their camps, were not sanctioned by the commission.
“The NBC should jettison the N5m fine on Channels Television and the practice of issuing threats to broadcasting stations over matters that could easily be resolved through dialogue.
“Democracy will be meaningless in Nigeria if press freedom is eroded.”
