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Reports of on-air altercations between Freedom Radio and Kano State Radio got an NBC Management team catching the next available plane to Kano on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 on a peacekeeping mission.
The team, lead by the Director General of the NBC, Engr Yomi Bolalrinwa, included the Director, Broadcast Content and Zonal Coordination, Mr. Tom Aliu Chatta, the Director Broadcast Policy and Research, Mr. Mark Ojiah, the Head, Public Affairs, Mallam Awwalu Salihu and the Kaduna Zonal Director, Mallam Ahmad Abdulkadir.
On arrival, the DG had a closed door meeting with the Chief Executives of the two stations, during which he pointed out the danger in what they were doing, stressing that it was unprofessional, and was likely to cause tension among their listeners.
The meeting ended with a firm commitment not to use their radio stations in broadcasts that could cause a breach of the peace.
The next day the DG had a meeting with the Chief Executives of all the broadcast stations in Kano, stressing the Commission’s concerns that a war of words between media houses would only pull down such media houses, destroy their credibility, and portray them as very unprofessional. “Such media houses”, he explained, were acting outside the ambit of the law.”
He warned that the Commission would not fold its arms and allow any station disrupt the peace, and solicited the cooperation of the stations in that regard.
After frank deliberations, the station executives pledged to operate within the ambit of the broadcasting code and the law.
The meeting was followed by a Press Conferenceduring which the Director General told journalists that among the Social Objectives of Broadcasting was to disseminate, impartially, news and opinions in a manner encouraging meaningful and articulate dialogue and discussion of issues of public interest, as well as to promote physical, mental and social well-being of the people.
Engr Bolarinwa added, “Every true professional and true patriot knows the basic concept, which demands that we use broadcasting to influence society positively, setting the agenda for the social, cultural, economic, political and technological development of a nation, for the public good.”
He therefore warned that on no account would the Commission accept any breach of the provisions of the law, and that the Commission would not hesitate to enforce these provisions when it became necessary. |
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