by Abdul lawal

The International Press Centre (IPC), has decried the arbitrary approach of the NIgerian Broadcasting Commission ( NBC) revocation of the licenses of alleged debtor broadcast stations across the country.

IPC ‘s Press Freedom Officer Mr. Melody Lawal said its council holds the view that the sweeping revocation confirms its concern that NBC exercises its powers arbitrarily without recourse to the public interest.

In a statement authored by Lawal said the action confirmed its worry that NBC continously constitutes itself to the accuser, the prosecutor and the judge in its own case.

” In this particular instance NBC has not only ordered the revocation of licenses of many TV and Radio stations, it has gone further to usurp
the authority of the President and Commander-In-Chief and the National Assembly by directing security agents to move in and effect its order” Lawal said.

The Council therefore called on NBC to exercise caution and ensure that it exhausts engagement channels before wielding a stick that may not only lead to thousands of job losses but also shrink the information dissemination space.

“NBC should stop acting as a revenue generating agency that is unconcerned about the business environment of broadcast stations.”

According to him ,nothing says that the affected Broadcast stations cannot contribute to the sustainability of broadcast stations who are having their own share of the economic crisis plaguing the Nation.