CSO: NBC creating fear — only state views will be heard in media soon

The Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, a civil society organisation (CSO), says the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is creating fear in the media space.

The CSO said this in reaction to the “final warning” handed down to Arise Television by NBC last week.

The commission said a guest on the television station made “derogatory and incendiary remarks” against the legislative, judiciary, and executive arms of government on October 5 and 6.

The guest spoke on the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University (CSU).

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Sam Amadi, the school’s director, said the media ought to be regulated but only in national interest.

“The NBC is now creating threats and fear. What this amounts to is that each media will now start censoring, internal censorship and at the end of the day only state views will be heard on television. That is against democracy,” he said.

“Nothing stops the president or anyone who has been libeled, damaged or injured unlawfully from seeking remedy against the person [in court].”

On his part, Paul Obi, media scholar and research fellow, said NBC is trying to truncate freedom of speech as enshrined in the country’s constitution.

“The NBC needs to come to terms with the fact that the NBC Act or Code cannot override the provisions of the 1999 constitution,” he said.

“In fact, at any particular point in time that the NBC attempts to overshoot itself, Section 22 and 39 supersede any NBC codes.

“Therefore, the threat to Arise News is null and void, unconstitutional and not known to the Nigerian laws and statutes within the media ecosystem.”

While calling on NBC to retract its warning to Arise Television, Obi said Nigerians should resist any attempt to gag the media.