One of the legacies of then President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida was the liberalisation of the broadcast industry.
Before the promulgation of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Decree 38 of 1992 (now an Act of Parliament), all legal and constitutional instruments made broadcasting the exclusive preserve of federal and state governments.
The decree promulgated on August 24 established the NBC and empowered it to issue licences to individuals.
NBC granted the first set of licences in 1994, but private broadcasting started in 1996, with Ray Power emerging the first private radio, broadcasting on 100.5 megahertz on the frequency modulation band.
Ever since the deregulation, subsequent governments continued to issue licences to deserving individuals and corporate organisations.
The NBC, via a statement issued recently by its director-general, Balarabe Ilelah announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of 159 new radio and television stations in Nigeria.
Ilelah said inter alia that, “Following the approval granted by the president, NBC has released the list of 159 licences granted to companies, communities, and institutions of higher learning.
“The commission was established by the NBC ACT, Cap. N11, Laws of the Federation 2004, with the mandate to regulate and control broadcasting in Nigeria.
“Today, there are 625 functional broadcast stations in Nigeria.’’
At the presentation of the provisional licences to the companies, organisations, and institutions of higher learning at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Ilelah urged them to use their stations to promote national cohesion and unity.
Ilelah explained that no fewer than 300 applications for radio and television stations were recommended to President Muhammadu Buhari through the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture for approval.
He added that the ministry processed the applications and forwarded them to the Presidency and 159 applications were approved by the president.
“We thank President Muhammadu Buhari for granting you the permission and trust to operate radio and television stations in Nigeria.
“You went through a very rigorous security check. A total of almost 300 applications for radio and television stations were sent to the president through the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture for approval.
“The ministry processed the applications and forwarded them to the Presidency, but fortunately, 159 applications were approved by the president.
“However, we have 65 applications that are still pending with the president and we will soon get them, pending how and when they finish.
“And seven applications were rejected for reasons best known to the security agencies,” he said.
The director-general told the licencees that the licences were granted to them on trust and the expectations on them were very high.
He also enjoined them to live up to expectations and operate within the provisions of the National Broadcasting Code.
“You must avoid sensational and fake news. It is one of the issues that we are fighting now in media houses in Nigeria.
“Do not be carried away by religious or ethnic sentiments.
“Do not be carried away by the desire to be the first to carry the news. Once you are being driven by that, you will always be on the wrong side.
“You must not allow your stations to be used as platforms to destroy Nigeria. You must use your licences to build and not to destroy the nation,” he said.
He warned that the commission would not hesitate to revoke any licence that operates contrary to the provisions of the law.
“This licence is not granted to jeopardise national security, but to promote national interest and foster unity in our diversity.”
An analyst, Ebony Oketunmbi, had previously stressed the need for the federal government to continue to deepen the gains of regulation by promptly issuing licences.
According to him, one of the most visible effectsof liberalisation is wider latitude in programming.
“Programming addresses the issue of what would be on air, when, and for how long?“Clearly, the contents of radio and television broadcast signals have increased in terms of varieties and durations since the advent of liberalisation.
“Another visible gain of liberalisation is a higher altitude in creativity.
“In this context, creativity is the ability of broadcast media stakeholders to do old things in new and interesting ways.
“It also means the ability to find new and interesting things to do in the same old fashioned ways“Thus, it can be observed that liberalisation of broadcasting has taken creativity beyond the limits imposed by the monopolisation era,’’ Oketunmbi said.
Another analyst, Emmanuel Ajibulu, said that private broadcasting had promoted the cultural values of the country with the production and broadcast of indigenous programmes such as dramas, Nigerian home videos, musicals and soap operas, etc.
He also said that several job opportunities were created, adding that politically, deregulation engendered new spectacle and grandeur in political reporting and analysis.
Ajibulu listed the political programmes of some of the private stations as “Kakaaki’’and “Focus Nigeria’’ of Africa Independent Television, ‘“Sunrise Daily’’, and “Politics Today,’’ on Channels Television, among others.
Mr Abia Onyike, a former commissioner of information in Ebonyi, who spoke on the gains of liberalising the broadcast media, enjoined journalists to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the recent licensing of many radio and television stations in the country.
Onyike, also former deputy national president of NUJ, commended the federal government for granting the licences to prospective media entrepreneurs.
“I am particularly mindful of the fact that the opening up of several electronic broadcast houses would ultimately provide enormous employment openings for professional journalists in the country.
“I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for granting the licences to the prospective media entrepreneurs.
“It is a boost to information dissemination and awareness creation in Nigeria.
“ The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria and Nigeria Union of Journalists should raise the standard of broadcasting and news reporting in the new electronic media organs, Onyike emphasised.
The former information commissioner stressed that training and retraining of journalists should not be compromised in the running of media houses in Nigeria.
“Rather, such training and retraining should be intensified so as to ensure effective delivery amongst media practitioners in Nigeria,’’ Onyike stressed.
As the director-general of NBC admonished, stakeholders want the broadcast media organisations to operate within the provision of the National Broadcasting Code.
The stakeholders also want the government to speed up approvals for new licences in order to sustain the deepening of gains of the deregulated electronic media sector.
NAN
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