‘FG will control narrative in the media’ — reactions to N5m hate speech fine

The unveiling of the sixth amendment to Nigeria’s broadcasting code by Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, has been greeted with criticism by some Nigerians.

Speaking at the unveiling held in Lagos on Tuesday, Mohammed described the amendments as “desirable provisions” which would enhance the broadcast sector.

The minister said some of those who are opposed to the amendments in the broadcast industry have “resorted to all kinds of blackmail, using hack writers”, adding that the government is unperturbed because it is working in “national interest”.

Weeks before the unveiling of the new code, many stakeholders criticised it. While Wole Soyinka, literary giant, described it as “economic sabotage”, Jason Njoku, CEO of IrokoTV, branded it as “quasi-socialism” and a means of subsidising inefficiency in the industry.

Some of the provisions of the amended code as listed by the minister include:

• The Antitrust provision will boost local content and local industry due to laws prohibiting exclusive use of rights by broadcasters who intend to create monopolies and hold the entire market to themselves.
• Sub-licensing and rights sharing create opportunities for local operators to also gain traction and raise revenue for their services
• The law prohibiting backlog of advertising debts will definitely promote sustainability for the station owners and producers of content
• The law on registration of web broadcasting grants the country the opportunity to regulate negative foreign broadcasts that can harm us
  as a nation.
• The provisions on responsibility of broadcast stations to devote airtime to national emergencies: This provision obviously mandates terrestrial and Pay TV channels to make their services available to Nigerians at time of national emergencies – like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – for their education and enlightenment.
• The provision raises the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5 million.

However, some Nigerians are kicking against it. Here are their comments:

Now the APC govt through Lai Mohammed will successfully force the hands of all news agency,platforms, media houses to report only APC events with this new NBC code on hate speech to N5,000,000. It is now obvious we are running into a banana republic

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— Peace (@hartarmah1) August 5, 2020

So they have actually implemented this insane NBC Code and told Nigeria "Shut up and sit down."

I say it's good. They should also implement all their other crazy policy proposals. Said it in last week's BusinessDay column, Nigeria needs a good crash and reset.

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I approve. pic.twitter.com/EEmYvRRzdD

— David Hundeyin (@DavidHundeyin) August 4, 2020

My worry is that authorities will capitalize on this new NBC code & control the narrative in the media#TheRoundtable

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— CAPTAIN (@ThisIsPOU) August 4, 2020

In spite of all the sensible objections, Lai Mohammed and co seem to have gone ahead to implement the new NBC code.

Ease of doing business. Lol.

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— Tunde Leye (@tundeleye) August 4, 2020

https://twitter.com/UgoIkeakor/status/1290695534592897027?s=19

on this N500,000 to N5M, is the Minister the NA making a law prescribing punishment for an offence? did the NBC Act envisaged the Minister prescribing punishment when it gave the Minister power to make Code to regulate the broadcasting industry? questions for the Court

— gibs (@MinisterInyang) August 4, 2020

Is that NBC code revision still underway?
It'd be very sad to see something that insidious creep into Nigeria's very progressive creative sector.

— Ofofonono Umoren (@UmorenOfofonono) August 4, 2020

@magicFMAba #peoplesandpolitics
Fumigation of schools failing to commence is not a good one at all. if they are finding it difficult to fumigate schools, I wonder how they plan to reopen schools. And for the NBC code, there is God oooo!!

— iheme goodness (@iheme_goodness) August 5, 2020

Well I yelled my head off about the danger in this NBC Code amendment clause, but Nigerians had so many more important things to do like discuss entertainment.

I get called "hack writer" by the minister in charge in return for the trouble. Oh well.

The tears won't be mine. pic.twitter.com/tb0myJBSZ1

— David Hundeyin (@DavidHundeyin) August 4, 2020

https://twitter.com/geeweeny/status/1290729722310266881?s=19

It is unfortunate that the current admin is determined to burn all the bridges of advocacy platforms that they rode to office. The people must rise to resist it. #TheRoundtable

— Mr. 'Dipo (@edoyakulo) August 4, 2020