NBC slams Zamfara over illegal closure of broadcast stations

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has slammed the Zamfara State government for shutting down broadcast stations in the state.

This was contained in a statement by the Director General of NBC Balarabe Ilelah.

The NBC tagged the move as illegal, calling on the state government to reverse the move.

“The National Broadcasting Commission has noted with serious concern the illegal
action of Zamfara State government by directing the shutdown of operations of
licensees of the Commission in the state, on Saturday October 15, 2022.

“The NBC has clearly notified the state government of the gravity of the illegality and requested it to expeditiously reverse the directive and apologize to the people of the state.

“We also urge the security agencies to ignore the call to restrict staff of the affected stations from conducting their legitimate duties.

“The Commission wishes to further emphasize that it will resist any attempt to cause a breach of law and order anywhere through the misuse of the broadcast media in Nigeria, before, during and after the 2023 national elections.

“We call on all industry stakeholders to resist any attempt to truncate the hard-
earned democratic gains in Nigeria.
Any aggrieved person or institution with genuine complaint(s) arising from
unprofessional conduct or action by any licensed broadcaster in Nigeria is hereby
requested to follow the laid down processes enshrined in the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

“The Commission will not relent to discharge its mandate according to the NBC Act, CAP. NII, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. All broadcast license holders are urged to ensure strict compliance and avoid any action inimical to democratic governance and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria,” the statement read.