NBC DG: Buhari’s supporters reported us to him for calling them to order

Ishaq Kawu, director-general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has accused some supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari in Kano state of violating the broadcast code.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum on Thursday, Kawu said when a radio station was penalised, some politicians told Buhari that the action was taken against the station out of its support for him.

He explained that the stations broke the code through “unbalanced programmes, unsubstantiated remarks and phone-in programmes where the audience get direct access to the studio without screening”.

He also said the commission was operating within the existing laws and could not fine stations beyond specific amounts.

“There are some people who associated themselves with President Muhammadu Buhari and uttered unsubstantiated and unfounded remarks on radio,” he said.

“When NBC sanctioned the radio station, the politicians moved to villa and lodged a complaint that NBC fined a station for supporting Buhari.”

On his part, Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said in 2015, Kano was saved from crisis after the commission lodged a complaint to NBC.

“It is the prompt intervention of INEC that saved the state from crisis. But when INEC lodged a complaint to NBC on the incidence, the commission fined the station alone,” Jega said.

Umaru Pate, dean of faculty of communication, Bayero University, Kano, advised NBC to invest in carrying out surveys in the bid to control hate speeches.

“NBC should invest in carrying out surveys on electoral trends to improve its understanding of the nature of up-coming elections and ensure that hate and dangerous speech are controlled,” he said.