As NBC orders the closure of AIT/RayPower, Silverbird TV, and 50 other stations, BON, NGE, and NUJ are fired.

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

AIT/RayPower FM, Silverbird TV, and 50 other broadcasting stations across the nation had their licenses withdrawn by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) yesterday due to their N2.6 billion debt to the regulatory body.

The Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) all swiftly reacted, describing the NBC’s move as harsh and callous in light of the nation’s economic situation and calling for an urgent reversal.

At a news conference in Abuja, the Director-General of NBC, Malam Balarabe Ilelah, also gave the affected stations an order to shut down within 24 hours and settle their debt in order to avoid total disconnection.

On the list of stations whose licenses were canceled yesterday were 22 broadcasting stations owned by the state government.

Ilelah further instructed NBC offices around the country to work with the security services to guarantee prompt compliance.

He stressed that the cancellation of the broadcast stations’ licenses was not being done for any political reasons.

In order to clear their debt, the Commission had been in discussions with the impacted media houses for more than a year, but they had refused to respond.

He recalled that in May 2022, the NBC published a list of licensees who owed it money in the national daily, giving them two weeks to renew their licenses and settle their debts or risk having their licenses withdrawn.

Nevertheless, he noted that certain licensees had not paid up their due obligations three months after the publication, “which is in defiance of the National Broadcasting Commission Act CAP N11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, in particular Section 10(a) of the Act.”

He concluded that the debtor-stations were functioning against the law and posed a danger to national security.

Therefore, following careful examination, the NBC hereby notifies the under-listed stations that their licenses have been revoked and gives them 24 hours to cease broadcasting. Our offices all around the country are thus instructed to work with security organizations to guarantee immediate compliance,” Ilelah stated.

Additionally, he recommended all broadcast stations to renew their licenses within the next 30 days in order to avoid penalties if they had not yet done so for the present period.

In order to prevent being disconnected, the NBC DG persuaded all IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and other broadcast stations that are broadcasting content online to register with the Commission.

Because they are two different licenses, he said, “Broadcasters should understand that holding a DTT or FM licence does not warrant a broadcaster to stream online.”

In order to prevent disconnections, he also urged all Internet Protocol Television and other broadcast stations that transmit content online to register with the Commission.

The NBC president advised broadcasters to keep in mind that possessing a DTT or FM license did not automatically entitle them to stream content online.

BON Debt Scheduling Appeals

Yesterday, BON urged the NBC to reverse the shutdown and revocation orders and permit the use of the debt recovery template that had previously been provided to it.

Dr. Yemisi Bamgbose, the Executive Secretary of BON, signed a letter of appeal addressed to the Director General of the NBC in which the organization stated that it is “asking for greater understanding with the 54 stations scheduled for shutdown and license revocation.”

Kindly keep in mind that, during our most recent participation in this subject, debt reconciliation, payment of some stations’ backlogs, and agreed-upon staggered payments for others were all made possible.

The organization based its argument on the “hostile economic environment,” adding that it was aware that it was required by law for them to pay license fees but that “it is a known fact that media income has seriously nose-dived as a result of the global impact of COVID-19 on the general economy which had negative consequences on the income of broadcast media houses.”

The organization claims that throughout the pandemic, they made little to no money, not even from advertising, because they were able to continue operating even while other economic sectors were forced to close due to the disease.

The letter claimed that BON members were still suffering from the pandemic’s prolonged economic effects and that the global economic recession, which had an adverse effect on the country’s economy, had made matters worse for broadcast media organizations.

“Over the last year, broadcast media companies have writhed under a great load brought on by the high costs of maintaining the stations, particularly the price of petrol, which has increased beyond affordability.

While many industries have shut down as a result of the current economic difficulties, radio and television stations have continued to broadcast despite facing financial difficulties because they understand the need of timely information in a precarious circumstance like ours.

BON noted the “growth of social media effect” and claimed that “state stations give verified information to the rural areas and eliminating 54 stations will undermine the government’s efforts in battling insurgency, which may lead to unfortunate outcomes.” This will provide way for social media to flourish and have all of its implications.

The closing of the broadcasting facilities, according to BON, would result in employment losses and “push thousands of workers into an already over-saturated labor market, taking food off the tables of millions of people.” Without exaggeration, this will not be beneficial to the government’s efforts to create jobs.

The organization noted that closing the stations would lead to additional issues because the non-broadcast of already booked ads would result in non-payment.

NGE, Kick NUJ

In a press release signed by its President, Mustapha Isah, and General Secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the professional organization for all editors in Nigeria, warned that the NBC hammer would result in the loss of thousands of jobs in a nation where employment opportunities are scarce.

The NGE was concerned because media organizations, which have nurtured and continue to nurture democracy, cannot just go off the air for any reason, it continued.

While the Guild is not opposed to broadcast stations paying their debts to the NBC, we must point out that the NBC failed to consider the current unfavorable operating environment, which has devastated every sector of our country.

“At the moment, the high exchange rate makes it impossible for private stations to import broadcast equipment. The enormous running costs, which include the price of diesel to power their generating sets, are all too well known.

After the NBC granted licenses to hundreds of additional stations, the Guild continued that some broadcast stations were barely hanging on in the face of intense competition in the market.

The NGE demanded that the NBC Act be reviewed in order to extend the validity of a broadcast license from five to at least 10 years.

In light of the numerous broadcast stations that are now in operation throughout the nation—for instance, the Lagos zone alone is home to around 50 radio stations—the body of editors also argued for a reduction in license payments.

In order to safeguard the impacted stations’ existence, the NGE charged the NBC with approaching them in order to restructure the obligations owing and work out a workable payment plan.

“A caring government should be concerned about the potential for job losses rather than income generation,” the statement reads. After all, one of NBC’s roles is to promote the growth and survival of the broadcast industry.

“A critical stakeholder in the country’s democratic arena cannot be excluded at this crucial juncture in our democracy, particularly as the nation gears up for the 2023 general election,” the statement reads.

The Nigerian Union of Journalists called the NBC hammer “ill-advised, ill-timed, and reckless” in its own response.

It should be highlighted that this wholesale revocation of licenses at this crucial time of insecurity in the country appears to be a decision taken without any prior deliberation, consultation, or advice, the NUJ said in a statement issued by its National Chairman, Chris Isiguzo.

“While we regret that these broadcast stations were unable to meet their duties to NBC due to limited finances, we warn against such a sweeping crackdown on broadcast stations because of security concerns and the ensuing repercussions.

“At this moment, we cannot afford the unfavorable consequences of such a media blackout. In order to protect national security, we implore NBC to exercise more moderation on this matter and for more discussion and consultation to come up with a better solution.