By our reporter| The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Thursday fined Nigeria Info 99.3 N5 million over an interview with Obadiah Mailafia, former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The former deputy director of the country’s apex bank had among other things alleged that a northern governor is one of the leaders of Boko Haram.
He was subsequently interogated by Nigeria’s secret police but was released on Wednesday.
However, the NBC in a statement on Thursday accused the station of providing its platform for Obadiah to “promote unverifiable and inciting views that could encourage or incite to crime and lead to public disorder”.
According to the commission, Malaifa’s claims were devoid of facts and in contravention of seven provisions of the recently amended broadcasting code.
The statement read, “No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference to any person or organization, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity.”
“Broadcasting shall promote human dignity, therefore, hate speech is prohibited.
“Consequent on these provisions and in line with the amendment of the 6thedition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Nigeria Info 99.3FM Lagos, has been fined the sum of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira), only.
“This is expected to serve as a deterrent to all other broadcast stations in Nigeria who are quick to provide [their] platform for subversive rhetoric and the expositions of spurious and unverifiable claims, to desist from such.
“The commission wishes to put it on record that it will not hesitate to suspend the Broadcast Licence of broadcast stations that continue to breach the Code.
“Stations are, by this statement, admonished to desist forthwith, from airing unwholesome content, or be ready to face appropriate sanctions.”
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