The Nation Newspaper

Tag: National Broadcasting Commission

  • ICYMI: NBC’s DG Kawu, two others arraigned over alleged N2.5b fraud

    After series of postponements, the Federal High Court in Abuja formally opened hearing on Thursday in the 12-count criminal charge filed against the Director General (DG) of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Dr. Ishaq Moddibbo Kawu and two others for their alleged complicity in the misapplication of N2.5billion meant for the digital switch-over (DSO) project of the Federal Government.

    On Thursday, Kawu, who limps, but had to support himself with a walking stick as he walked into the dock, was arraigned with the Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Limited, Lucky Omoluwa and the firm’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dipo Onifade, on the charge.

    Kawu and others pleaded not guilty to the charge, following which their lawyers applied for bail.

    Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo after standing the case down for hours, resumed sitting around 2pm, during which she read a ruling on the defendants’ bail applications, which she granted.

    Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo granted bail to each of the defendant at N100m and two sureties.

    The judge, who declined to order the remand of the defendants, directed them to perfect the bail granted them within 10 days, failing which they could be remanded in prison custody until they are able to meet the conditions.

    Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo, in granting bail to the defendants, relied on sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution and sections 158, 159 and 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

    The judge ordered the two sureties must be Federal civil servants not below Grade Level 17 and must show evidence of tax payment within the last three years.

    She said one of the sureties must reside within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); must own landed property in the FCT and must deposed to an affidavit of means.

    The judge, who barred the defendants from travelling abroad and ordered them to deposit their international passports with the court, directed the prosecution to verify the addresses of the sureties.

    She adjourned till Friday for the prosecution to commence trial.

    Onanuga, Mohammed, Kawu others head agencies

    Earlier, after the defendants pleaded to the charge, prosecution lawyer, Henry Emore sought to be allowed to call his witnesses for the commencement of trial, an application lawyers to the defendants – Abdulhakeem Mustapha (SAN), Alex Izinyon (SAN) and A.V. Etuwewe objected to, and proceeded to argue the defendants’ bail applications.

    Mustapha represented Modibbo, Izinyon appeared for Omoluwa and Onifade while Etuwewe represented their firm, Pinnacle Communications Ltd.

    In the 12-count charge, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission ICPC) charged Kawu and others with abuse of office, money laundering and misleading a public officer with the intent to defraud the federal government, in contravention of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other related offences Act, 2000.

    In 2016, the Federal Government released N10billion to the Ministry of Information and Culture for execution of the digital switch-over project intended to ensure the migration of government’s television stations to the digital platforms.

    The government equally issued a White Paper, directing how the process should be executed.

    By the guidelines, two companies were nominated to handle the process, one of which was ITS, an affiliate of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

    N1.7billion was said to have been released to the firm as seed grant for the commencement of the execution of the project.

    The ICPC alleged that Kawu fraudulently recommended Pinnacle Communications Limited, a private company, to the Minister of Information and Culture for release of N2.5 billion against the guidelines contained in the White Paper.

  • Ekiti Election: NBC urges broadcasters to abide by broadcasting code

    The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has urged all broadcasting stations that would cover the Ekiti Governorship elections to do so in conformity with the provisions of the Broadcasting Code.

    The Director-General of NBC, Malam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, stressed the need for broadcasting stations to respect the provisions relating to coverage of elections.

    He drew the attention of broadcasters to the following sections of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

    “Section 5.2. and Section 12 stipulated that all partisan political broadcasts, campaigns, jingles, announcements and the use of all forms of partisan political party identifications or symbols on air shall end not later than twenty-four hours before polling day.

    “Also sections 5.2 and 14 stated that a broadcaster shall not use any vote obtained at different polling stations or from exit polls, to project or speculate on the chances of the candidates.

    Read Also:NBC vows to sanction erring broadcast station on political reporting code

    “Similarly, sections 5.2 and 15 stated that a broadcaster shall broadcast election results or declaration of the winner only as announced by the authorised electoral officer for the election,” he said.

    The DG said all broadcast stations had a duty to promote sustainable democracy in Nigeria and warned that appropriate sanctions would be meted out to any erring station that operates outside the confines of the code.

    “This is in accordance with section 14.0.1 which states that the commission shall impose sanctions for any breach arising from monitoring and all complaints received on the content or conduct of a broadcast station.”

    Kawu, therefore, reiterated that broadcast organisations were expected to exercise freedom of expression as agents of society, not for any personal or sectional rights, privileges and needs of their own or of their proprietors, relatives, or supporters as highlighted in the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

    NAN

  • Digital TV will generate N100bn for Nollywood – Lai Mohammed

    Digital TV will generate N100bn for Nollywood – Lai Mohammed

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says that Digital Television will generate N100bn annually for Nollywood through FreeTV distribution network.

    The minister made this known on Wednesday at the launch of digital switch over at the premises of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Ilorin.

    He said that Nigerians have watched Nollywood moved from VHS tapes to VCD to DVD, adding that the whole world has moved to digital consumption of content with its attendant benefits and democratisation of distribution.

    Nigerian TV viewers, the minister said have been constrained by limited penetration of internet in their homes.

    “With the middleware in our `Set Top Boxes’; homes will be able to buy and watch the latest Nollywood movies without the need for internet.

    “Imagine a film released on Monday morning being immediately available to all the households in Kwara at the touch of a button. That is the kind of experience we are talking about,” the minister added.

    Mohammed added that FReeTV has the capacity to grow TV advertising market by 400million dollar per annum through audience measurement.

    “In this regard, permit me to use this opportunity to throw the weight of the government behind the NBC in its efforts to create a viable currency by which producers of content and channels can be re-numerated,” he said.

    The minister said that the digital switch over will create tens of thousands of jobs through Technical and Manufacturing opportunities.

    “`Set Top Box’ assembling and ultimately manufacturing is an irreversible mandate by the government to the industry.

    “We expect this to extend very quickly to local Smart TV and Tablet manufacturing.

    “With our strong consumer base, we can quickly become the supplier of these equipments to the whole of West Africa,” the minister added.

    Mohammed added that Electronic Programme Guide will also be a platform for App developers to create products that will make life easier for the home consumers.

    “For the people of Kwara, we welcome the publishers of Apps to start looking for how to make living easier and commerce easier, using the technology that sits on these boxes,” he added.

    Mallam Ish’aq Modibo Kawu, Director General, National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC ), in his remark said the switch over in Ilorin was the third since inauguration in Jos, Plateau State.

    Kawu said that one of the reasons for choosing Kwara in the North Central was the presence of old broadcasting house and its closeness to international borders.

    He said the switch over will be done in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country, adding that Kaduna will be next to switch over to digital TV.

    The DG added that the Federal Government has imported 600, 000 Set of `Top Boxes’ at subsidised price.

    He said that when the 600, 000 boxes are exhausted, there will be no subsidy for subsequent ones as the boxes will be manufactured in the country.

    NAN

  • NBC Sanction: See list of 23 radio stations fined N2.849 million

    NBC Sanction: See list of 23 radio stations fined N2.849 million

    The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has sanctioned 23 broadcasting stations for various breaches of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code in the third quarter of 2017.

    The Head, Public Affairs, NBC, Mrs Maimuna Jimada, in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos, said that the broadcasting stations were fined a total of N2.849 million.

    Jimada said that the contraventions included breaches of the rules on hateful speech, vulgar lyrics and unverifiable claims.

    She said that all the erring stations had been fined according to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

    “The commission wishes to remind broadcasters that they have a duty to promote the socio-economic well-being of the Nigerian state and abide strictly by the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code or face sanctions.”

    For the “Use Of Hateful Speech”; Family Love FM, Uyo, was fined N200,000, ABS FM, Enugu-N100,000, Express FM Radio, Kano, N100,000. The latter was also fined twice later for similar infractions.

    Related: NBC sanctions 23 radio stations

    On the “Use Of Indecent Musicals”; Royal FM, Abuja was fined N100,000, FLO FM, Enugu-N100,000, Radio Continental, Lagos-N200,000, Crystal 100.5FM, Abuja-N100,000.

    For “Unverifiable Claims”, a fine of N100,000 was meted on Crowther FM, Abuja, Harmony FM, Abuja-N100,000, Inspiration FM, Uyo-N100,000, BCA FM, Enugu-N150,000, ABS, Enugu-N100,000, Minaj Systems Radio, Enugu-N100,000 and IBC (Orient TV) Enugu N50,000.

    Others are Rainbow FM, Ibadan-N100,000, Globe FM, Jos-N100,000, Arewa Radio, Kaduna-N100,000, EBS Radio, Benin-N100,000 and Bond FM, Lagos-N499,000.

    ITV, Jos was fined N100,000, while IBC (Orient TV), Enugu was sanctioned N50,000 for “Voicing and Unprofessional Broadcast.”

  • FG grants tax reliefs to TStv Africa

    FG grants tax reliefs to TStv Africa

    The Federal Government has granted a 3-year tax relief to the newly inaugurated Pay TV operator in the country, TStv Africa, as well as tax free dividends to all investors in the company.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced this on Sunday night in Abuja at a dinner to mark the official unveiling of the new company.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports TStv Africa is a wholly owned Nigerian Pay TV operator with refined offerings of novel Unclassified Pay Per View subscription and complimentary internet services.

    Mohammed, who performed the official unveiling of the new company and its products, said the tax reliefs were in line with the Pioneer Status recently granted to the Creative Industry by the federal government.

    The minister congratulated the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Dr Bright Echefu, and his team for liberalising and breaking the monopoly of Pay TV in the country.

    “The important thing about what Echefu has done today is that he has redefined the pay per view television industry and from today that industry will never remain the same again.

    “What he has done is to democratise the media and entertainment industry and make it possible for even a peasant farmer to have access to the best entertainment and news in the world.

    “It is a great opportunity for me to be the one to unveil TStv because just like a Nigerian made history by crashing the cost of telephony in Nigeria, I am glad that another Nigerian is now coming forward to crash the cost of Pay TV,” he said.

    The minister commended the courage of the investor for coming from the Diaspora to invest in his country and for believing in the government’s seriousness about diversifying the economy.

    He said the company had also demonstrated that government alone could not do all things but needed the participation and synergy of the private sector.

    “I want to assure that this administration will continue to assist you and other investors in creating the enabling environment for businesses to grow,” he said.

    The minister said that the government was aware of the huge contributions of the creative industry to the nation’s economy and would continue to support the sector.

    However, he identified contents and the lack of objective audience measurement as major challenges that had retarded the growth of TV and advertising industries in the country.

    “With the liberalisation of the industry, content has become very key because content determines which channels are being watched and which are not.

    “Another major challenge is how to get an accurate measurement of which channel is being watched and which is not.

    “Kenya and South Africa are about one third of our population but they do much better in TV and radio advertisement than us because of their robust audience measurement,” he said.

    The minister announced that the National Broadcasting Commission and his ministry would organise a workshop on Nov. 28 to address the challenge of audience measurement.

    Earlier, Echefu said that TStv Africa, which had gone through a lot of challenges, was birth to liberalise PayTV in the country, make it affordable to every Nigerian with added values.

    He said for the first time, Nigerians could now enjoy Pay Per View because with TStv, “subscription runs as you watch and it has the facility to pause your subscription when you travel”.

    Echefu said that TStv for a start has 70 premium channels model with the cheapest pay-TV in Africa with maximum subscription fee of N3,000 only.

    He said as a fully Nigerian brand with consideration for the masses, TStv is not classified and it has a model that accommodate subscription as low as N200 as N500 for a period of time.

    The CEO said TStv came with PVR (Personal Video Recorder) Decoder which allowed viewers greater control over their viewing experience with functions like pause, rewind, forward, save and record of programmes of interest.

    Echefu said that once you subscribe to TStv, you will also get complimentary internet service, enabled Wi-Fi, as well as video calls and video conferencing services.

    “It has an array of amazing TV channels with premium entertainment, educative programmes that cut across all genres.

    “The genres included news, music, general entertainment, documentary, movies, religious, sports, health, kids, fashion and lifestyle that better define the uniqueness of Nigeria’s diverse culture and traditional values,” he said.

    The CEO said TStv which was modelled for Nigerians had come to stay, assuring that it would not fail and they would deliver on their promises.

    NAN reports that the guests at the ceremony were entertained with live performances by musicians and comedians.

    Among the dignitaries at the event were Gov. Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr Fola Adeyemi, and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, MS Grace Gekpe.

    Others were the Director-General of National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; Nollywood actors including Emeka Ike. Adigwe Okafor, Zack Amata, Dr Opa Williams and Afeez Oyetoro aka Saka. (NAN)

  • Hate speech: FG will not stifle the Press – Minister

    Hate speech: FG will not stifle the Press – Minister

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said the Federal Government will not make any law or directive that will stifle the press in its ongoing fight against hate speech and fake news.

    The Minister gave the assurance on Monday in Lagos when he paid a working visit to the Headquarters of TV Continental (TVC)

    Mohammed described as fake news, the alleged directive from National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) regulating phone-in programmes and Newspaper review on TV and radio programmes.

    He said there was no directive whatsoever from NBC or his office to any media house, regulating phone-in programmes and newspaper review as reported in the media.

    The Minister recalled that there was a brainstorming meeting among stakeholders including NBC, media owners and others in Lagos where issues affecting the industry were discussed.

    He said it was one of the participants at the meeting that leaked out the issues raised, which were never adopted as government directive or policies.

    Mohammed reiterated that “no government that stifles the press, ever succeeds” and the Federal Government will not make laws or issue directive to gag the media.

    He said the position of the government has been and still remains that the industry should regulate itself.

    He, therefore, underscored the need for media houses to discharge their responsibilities in accordance with the dictates of their guiding codes to check the alarming rate of hate speech and fake news.

    He said many Nigerians relied on newspaper review on radio and TV as their source of news daily and such review should, therefore, be done from the holistic perspective.

    The minister also underscored the need for media houses to regulate the calls received during phone-in programmes to checkmate opportunists from using such avenue for hate speech.

    The Minister said that the Government would not make any new laws to tackle the challenge of hate speech because there are enough provisions for it.

    He said the Anti-Terrorism Act 2011 defines hate speech amongst others, as an act deliberately done with malice and which may seriously harm or damage a country or seriously intimidate a population.

    Reacting to why there was upsurge in incidents of hate speech and fake news in the country, the Minister said that the purveyors were being paid with stolen funds to whittle down the anti corruption stance of the government.

    He added that the upsurge was also about the 2019 general elections, to whittle down the many achievements recorded by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    He reiterated that no amount of hatred would obliterate the solid achievements recorded by the Administration.

    The Chief Executive Officer of TVC, Mr Andrew Hanlon thanked the Minister for the visit.

    NAN reports that the Minister also featured on a live interview programme of the station.

  • NBC’s belated cry and a Sallah Day without music

    SOMETIMES I do not know what to make of some of our regulatory and public service agencies in terms of their operations. But it is noteworthy that the only area they are proactive is in ticketing, licensing, levying etcetera – everything that has to do with bill collection. In terms of service delivery, there are always excuses that only give them away as either lame, incompetent or unprofessional. The fire service will always get late to trouble spots; PCHN will allow electricity mostly, only when they are to embark on disconnection; the police are on the road mainly to extort from commercial motorists, just as the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) bikers would sniff around the highways for a motorist making phone call while driving, than to bother about miscreants that rob commuters in traffic in daylight.

    On Tuesday, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was reported to have banned five songs from the airwaves. Incidentally, the songs – ‘Wo’ and ‘Wavy Level’ by Olamide Adedeji, simply called Olamide; ‘Fall’ and ‘If’ (Remix) by David Adeleke, aka Davido; and ‘Living Things’ by Abolore Akande, aka 9ice – are the rave-of-the-moment songs that radio and TV stations find difficult to ignore. The fact is that these songs did not get popular in one day – in fact, one of the factors that engraves music in the heart of people is when radio and TV stations put such songs on the repeat mode. This way, even songs that were perceived unattractive at first, usually find their way into the subconscious of the radio fan. The question is where was the NBC all the while? Who or what has suddenly jolted the agency to action at the 11th hour? And of course, what difference will it make now that the songs have been downloaded to the phones of several youths while many more have them as their ringtones or caller tunes?

    For NBC, it is laughable that they appear to be crying when the head is over. This gets me to wonder if the agency understands the broadcast terrain well enough to do their gatekeeping role effectively. On the other hand, it could be a function of the typical civil service slipshod that places priority only on licensing of stations and collecting overhead from government for doing nothing.

    The moral value of the society is already endangered, and parents alone are left in a rat race that could be more frustrating in this internet and social media era. The situation is so bad because even religious organisations have been compromised and teachers too, are mostly struggling to make their rewards a reality in their lifetime.

    On the part of the radio and TV stations, there is a word called self-regulation. And I find it hard to believe that the code of ethics for broadcast organisations would not have covered areas of vulgar lyrics, indecent exposure and what have you. Thus, why would the NBC have to ban a song before the management of a station get to understand that it is an abuse of their professional calling to either play songs that should be left to club houses and concerts, or even play them at primetime.

    The rot is indeed a vicious circle, but those charged with the responsibility to wield the stick must be held accountable. The NBC must wake up to its responsibilities and stop making a joke of its mandate. And, did I hear that the NBC is refuting the purported ban? I thought they say, ‘it is better late than never’. It is most shocking that the NBC is trying to refute a move they should have quietly admitted. To me, refuting the ban of those songs for which radio stations have started complying is like giving the songs a ‘clean bill’. If someone is trying to cover their shame through that write-up (whether or not it was false), they have simply called themselves the ‘lowly child’ that rebuffs the mat’.

    Meanwhile, I hear Friday September 1 is Eid-el-Kabir, a day incidentally fixed by the Nigerian music industry as No Music Day. Now, how do we celebrate? “No Music Day” is a day the music industry has dedicated to bringing the attention of the Nigerian nation to the widespread infringement of the rights of song writers, composers, performers, music publishers, record labels and other stakeholders in the music industry. Although compliance is not usually total, it makes a huge difference that music are either played scantily or not played at all for some hours, and only talks about the import of the genre are given a priority.

    Thus, on Sallah Day, we would be hearing sermons, not necessarily to celebrate the memory, sacrificial ingenuity, and total obedience to the will of God by Prophet Abraham (Peace be upon his name), but about how unexciting the world would be without music and the need to give due honour, recognition and allow financial reward to come the way of creators of music content. Did I hear you say ‘good idea, wrong timing’? This is only co-incidental and an irony of sort. Whichever way, the show must go on! We will play legally purchased songs from our ‘turntable’, just so we don’t have a dull celebration. Barka de Sallah!

  • Pay your debt – NBC tell stations

    The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Friday gave all stations owing the commission licence fee three months to settle or conclude discussions on their payment schedule.

    The Director-General of the Commission, Malam Is’haq Modibbo-kawu announced this at a news briefing at the NBC’s National Headquarters in Abuja.
    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that NBC recently directed affected stations to settle their outstanding debts by the end of March 31 otherwise risk of being closed down.
    He said over the past few weeks, many stations came forward to settle their debts to the NBC, while some others have come to discuss their payment schedule.
    “ The manner that our licensees have also reacted in the past few weeks convinced us here at the NBC, that they are aware of their commitment to the Nigerian people and their obligations as licensees of NBC.

    “ Therefore, all stations are given an extended period of three months from today till June 30th, 2017, to conclude discussions with the NBC on their payment plans, including a firm commitment to pay these monies within the three months,“ he said.

    Modibbo-kawu said that in the meantime, the commission would issue a statement of account to all licensees and allow a reasonable time for reconciliation within the month of April.

    He explained that the issuance of statements of account would be for the public-owned and private stations alike, so as to assist the publicly-owned stations to seek approvals within government system.
    The DG said that opportunity would also be offered for the private stations to seek funds from financial institutions to settle their debt.
    He promised that NBC would work more closely with licensees through the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and related bodies like APCON, to assist in ensuring that monies owed by licensees are fully paid.
    This, he said, would ensure that they can operate effectively to make it much easier for them to meet their licensing obligations to the NBC.
    According to him, there are about 793 radio and television stations in the country that were creating jobs and offering platforms for robust engagement in democratic process.

    He, therefore, expressed the commitment of the NBC to ensuring the continuous flowering of broadcast sector in the national social and communication architecture.

    He, however, commended the role played by the leadership of BON, especially the Chairman, Mr John Momoh and the Executive Secretary, Mr Segun Olaleye.