National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has sanctioned some radio and television stations for airing inciting contents on the herdsmen /farmers crises in some parts of the country.
The NBC Director General, Malam Is’haq Moddibo Kawu while speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday said the unnamed stations may be sanctioned soon for escalating the crises.
Mal Kawu urged radio and TV stations to be detached from stories concerning the crisis as country approaches electoral period
“We are disturbed by the pattern of insensitive and inflammatory broadcasts emanating from some broadcast stations, especially in their coverage of national crises, like the Herdsmen/Farmer crises.
“We have observed that some stations deliberately and repeatedly air very inciting contents long after the events break.
“We have warned stations that they must follow the tenets of the Broadcasting Code. Having warned broadcasters, we shall follow up with appropriate sanctions should any station continue to violate the Broadcasting Code.
“Many stations have been fined for hateful and inciting broadcast. It is important to remind our presenters and so-called On-Air-Personalities (OAPs), that they must be professionally detached from the stories and reports of crises phenomena.
“They are to offer platforms for Nigerians to present all the sides to issues in the news, not become the subjects of these stories, as they are wont to doing on many programs. This is especially true of political programs on broadcast stations.
“As the country approaches the electioneering period, radio and TV stations must do everything professional to promote democracy.
“Don’t broadcast campaigns when the period for commencement of campaigns have not commenced,” he warned.
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