The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), yesterday announced a N500, 000 fine on Ekiti State Broadcasting Service for violating ethical standards of broadcasting code.
NBC Director-General Malam Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, said in Abuja that broadcasters had an obligation to ensure that they did not disrupt the good order of the country and the nation’s democracy.
He said the Ekiti State Broadcasting Service had been unprofessional in its activities, particularly in the past two weeks..
The D-G said the appointment of the Acting Director-General of Ekiti Broadcasting Service, Mr Lere Olayinka, as the Spokesperson of Kolapo Olusola Campaign Organisation (KOCO), was not in conformity with the ethical standard of broadcasting.
“For the avoidance of doubt, section 5.2. and 18 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code states that while a broadcaster /producer may interact with politicians in the course of his professional duties. ‘this shall not be such as to lead to the belief that he is either a member or sympathizer of any political party,” he said.
Kawu said that NBC had written to the station and drawn its attention to the violation of the code, but that words of caution were ignored.
“When President Muhammadu Buhari went to Ekiti State, the governor actually did a broadcast telling the people not to receive the President.
“You can carry partisanship up to a point but not up to that level.
“So we are sanctioning the Ekiti State Broadcasting Service, the highest level of sanction that NBC can impose,” he said.
The DG said that the Director of Broadcast Monitoring and other personnel of the commission would be on ground to monitor the situation.
Kawu said “Every station is aware of the ways it must conduct itself as broadcast professionals and institutions.”