Continental Broadcasting Services Limited, owners of Television Continental (TVC), has incurred a hefty fine from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Director-General of NBC, Mallam Balarabe Ilelah announced in a letter addressed to the company’s management that the broadcast regulator was imposing a N2 million fine on TVC for airing “hate speech and inflammatory comments”.
Ilelah said that the commission had monitored the television station’s “consistent” breach of the Nigerian broadcasting code in its programming, specifically pertaining to the forthcoming general election.
The NBC DG said that TVC has made the propagation of “hate speech, inflammatory, derogatory and unfair comments” its house style.
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The commission made reference to a media briefing by the Spokesperson of the All Progressives Council (APC) Presidential Campaign Council Festus Keyamo SAN, as well as comments by the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“On 06/01/23 at 12:29PM, the Joint Media Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council made the following comments while briefing the media. Festus Keyamo: ‘…Obasanjo and Atiku run a criminal enterprise, an empire of fraud in Abuja. At the same time that Ahmed Bola Asiwaju was toiling hard, beautifully and meticulously to rebuild Lagos, 2 criminals were stealing money in Abuja at the time… they both stole from the SPV account at that time.’ Speaking about the whistleblower, Micheal Achimugu, he said, ‘We suspect that some goons of Atiku Abubakar are planning eliminate him and members of his family. In fact, my big brother FFK actualy hinted me about something like that yesterday’.
“On 24/01/23 at 03:39PM, during the APC Presidential Rally in Abia State. The APC Presidential Candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu after telling the public to vote APC under the symbol of broom, he went on to make the following comment ‘…You know what you do with the rest of them? They are like lizards, cockroaches and mosquitoes. Just take the broom, wipe them off’.
“On 31/01/23 at 02:37pm, during the All Progressives Congress (APC) rally which held in Anambra State. The Party’s Presidential Candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also made the following remarks: ‘When you hear Atiku use the word Muslim and say ‘Wallahi, Talahi, you know what is in his heart? ‘na lie I lie’. Anytime you hear Atiku say Wallahi Talahi, just reply him say, na lie you lie’,” the letter read in part.
According to NBC, the station has failed to give equal coverage to all political parties.
“On 10th October, 2022, your station started its news with 17 minutes of APC news and 1 minutes of PDP story with a video clip that did not play,” the letter further read.
The commission directed TVC to pay the N2 million fine within two weeks of the receipt of its letter.
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