‘Stop acting as a revenue generating agency,’ IPC warns NBC over revocation of operating stations’ licenses
Following the decision by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Friday, to revoke the operational licenses of 52 electronic media firms in the country, the International Press Centre (IPC) has warned the regulatory agency of the Federal Government to reconsider the employment implications of the move.
IPC also warned the NBC to ‘stop acting like a revenue generating agency of government that is unconcerned about the business environment of broadcast stations.’
Reacting to the revocation of the licences of the 52 radio and television stations by the NBC over debts owed it, the IPC which described the decision as arbitrary, accused the agency of exercising its powers ‘without a recourse to the public interest.’
NBC had announced a decision to revoke the licences of the African Independent Television (AIT), Silverbird Television (STV), and 50 other television and radio broadcasting companies on Friday.
IPC, in a statement signed by its Press Freedom Officer, Melody Lawal, also called on NBC to exercise caution in enforcing its authority and to exhaust all available channels before taking decisions that may render thousands jobless and shrink the information dissemination space.
“The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria decries the arbitrary approach of the NBC in revoking the licenses of alleged debtor broadcast stations.
“IPC holds that the sweeping revocation confirms its concern that NBC exercises its powers arbitrarily without recourse to the public interest.
“It also confirms our worry that NBC continuously constitutes itself to the accuser, the prosecutor, and the judge in its own case.
“In this particular instance NBC has not only ordered the revocation of licenses of many TV and Radio stations, but it has also gone further to usurp the authority of the President and Commander-In-Chief and the National Assembly by directing security agents to move in and effect its order.
“IPC calls on NBC to exercise caution and ensure that it exhausts engagement channels before wielding a stick that may not only lead to thousands of job losses but also shrink the information dissemination space.
“NBC should stop acting as a revenue generating agency that is unconcerned about the business environment of broadcast stations.
“Nothing in its mandate says that it cannot contribute to the sustainability of broadcast stations who are having their own share of the economic crisis plaguing the Nation,” the statement read.
