Broadcast stations, Arise News and TVC have been fined N2 million by the National Broadcasting Commission for allegedly breaking national broadcasting laws as the 2023 general election approaches.
On February 3, 2023, NBC Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, the director general, informed the management of the impacted organizations of the punishment in separate letters.
According to NBC, the penalties would be graduated if the fines weren’t paid within two weeks of receiving the letters.
The following parts of the Code were allegedly violated by TVC, according to the commission’s letter to TVC: 1.10.4; 3.1.2; 3.3.1(e); 4.2.2(g); 4.2.2(g); 4.3.1(e); 5.3.3(c); 5.3.3(e); 5.3.3(f); and 5.5.1.(b).
It claimed that TVC News had published unfair and disparaging statements.
It charged TVC News of permitting unfair and disparaging remarks to air on its program.
Ilelah stated that the alarming trend has been adopted as a TVC house style.
It added that the unprofessional broadcasts by TVC included the press conference of the APC Presidential Campaign Council’s Joint Media Directorate, where Festus Keyamo claimed that Atiku Abubakar and Obasanjo “run a criminal enterprise, an empire of fraud in Abuja…” and claimed that some of Atiku Abubakar’s goons were preparing to assassinate whistleblower, Michael Achimugu.
It also criticized TVC News for not providing other political parties with equitable news coverage across the board.
The following areas of the code were broken, according to NBC’s letter to Arise TV: 1.10.4; 3.1.2; 3.3.1(e); 5.3.3 (e); 5.3.3 (f); 5.5.1 (b); 5.5.1 (d); and 5.5.6.
The panel referenced the PDP presidential campaign rally in Delta, the interview with Na’jaatu Muhammad, the former APC campaign director, and the PDP presidential campaign event in Sokoto.
It criticized Arise Global Media for glorifying unfair content on its news program, “What is Trending,” by giving it priority.
