Lagos based radio station, -Nigeria Info 99.3fm has been slammed with a N5million fine for the interview it conducted with a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Obadiah Mailafia in which the guest alleged that an unnamed governor of a northern state was the sponsor of terrorist organization, Boko Haram.
Although the Department of State Services (DSS) earlier invited Mailafia for a chat, the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) today confirmed a fine of N5m as penalty for the radio. The NBC accused Nigeria Info of providing its platform for Obadiah to “promote unverifiable and inciting views that could encourage or incite to crime and lead to public disorder”.
Accordignto the commission, Mailafia’s claims could not be substantiated and it run foul of seven provisions of the recently amended broadcasting code. The statement reads: “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. Broadcasting shall promote human dignity, therefore, hate speech is prohibited.
“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 [their] 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.”