Mailafia’s Interview: NBC slams Nigeria Info N5m fine for unprofessional broadcast

National  Broadcasting  Commission’s (NBC) hammer fell on Nigeria Info 99.3 FM for briadcasting the interview with former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Obadaiah Mailafia, in which he made some salacious  claims about security situation in parts of the country.

Mailafia had, in the interview for which he was invited by the Department of State Service (DSS) to its Jis office on Wednesday where he was quizzed for about six hours, claimed, among others, that a serving Northern governor was a commander of the deadly Boko Haram terrorists group.

The Northern Governors’ Forum had quickly launched an investigation into the matter consequent upon the weighty allegation, which Mailafia said was one of his findings at an interface with some members of the group.

Mailafia had, after his session with the DSS, admitted that he should have taken more time to corroborate the information given to him by the Boko Haram members he had a meeting with, but also lamented the nature of some of the information, which, according to him were not “corroborateable”.

Advertisement

Regardless, the NBC has bared its fangs against the radio station on which Mailafia’s interview was aired, making it the first station that would be sanctioned for propagating hate speech after the amendments to the sections of the NBC Code that deal with such broadcast violations or infractions.

The NBC announced the sanction in a statement in Abuja.

The statement, titled: THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMMISSION FINES Nigeria Info 99.3FM FOR UNPROFESSIONAL BROADCAST” reads:

“The National Broadcasting Commission has noted with grave concern, the unprofessional conduct of Nigeria Info 99.3FM, Lagos, in the handling of the Programme, “Morning Cross Fire”, aired on August 10, 2020, between 8.30am and 9.00am. The station provided its platform for the guest, Dr. Mailafia Obadiah, to promote unverifiable and inciting views that could encourage or incite to crime and lead to public disorder.

“The Commission, again, wishes to reiterate that Broadcasters hold Licenses in trust for the people. Therefore, no Broadcast Station should be used, to promote personal or sectional interests at the expense of the people.

“Dr. Mailafia Obadia’s comments on the “Southern Kaduna Crisis”, were devoid of facts and by broadcasting same to the public, Nigeria Info 99.3FM, is in violation of the following sections of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code:

“3.1.1 No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference to any person or organization, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity;

“3.1.2 Broadcasting shall promote human dignity, therefore, hate speech is prohibited;

“3.3.1 (a) The broadcaster shall ensure that any information given in a programme, in whatever form, is accurate;

“3.3.3.1(b) The Broadcaster shall ensure that all sides to any issue of public
interest are equitably presented for fairness and balance;

“3.11.1(a) The broadcaster shall ensure that language or scene likely to encourage or incite to crime, or lead to disorder, is not broadcast;

“3.11.1(b) No programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign state;

“5.4.1(f) The Broadcaster shall not transmit divisive materials that may threaten or compromise the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a sovereign state.

“Consequent on these provisions and in line with the amendment of the 6thedition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Nigeria Info 99.3FM Lagos, has been fined the sum of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira), only.

“This is expected to serve as a deterrent to all other broadcast stations in Nigeria who are quick to provide platform for subversive rhetoric and the expositions of spurious and unverifiable claims, to desist from such.

“The Commission wishes to put it on record that it will not hesitate to suspend the Broadcast Licence of broadcast stations that continue to breach the Code.

“Stations are, by this statement, admonished to desist forthwith, from airing unwholesome content, or be ready to face appropriate sanctions.”