Save Nigeria Movement Rejects Attempts to Duplicate Functions of NBC

• The move to sponsor a bill establishing the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters has been rejected by the Save Nigeria Movement
• According to the pressure group, the society will duplicate the functions of the existing Nigerian Broadcasting Commission
• The group noted that the commission is empowered by law to establish a broadcast institute, the same as what the bill is canvassing

FCT, Abuja - A civil society group,  the Save Nigeria Movement (SNM) has kicked against the bill seeking to establish the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters to duplicate the functions of the existing Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

The national convener of the SNM, Solomon Semaka while addressing a news conference in Abuja said the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters will hijack the functions of the NBC.

He described the bill as a misplaced one since there is already in place the NBC, a regulatory body established by law to regulate the broadcast sector in Nigeria.

He said in the court of public opinion, it is common sense that one can't be a judge of himself. 

His words:

“Our position against the establishment of the SNB is first and formed anchored on the fact that it'll be like authoring confusion if two bodies are established to monitor one sector.

“It has never been done and it'll certainly create a chaotic situation if the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission and Society of Nigerian Broadcasters are all authorised to regulate the sector. Worse still, it'll be disastrous for the broadcasters to regulate themselves.

“The result will not just be chaos but utter confusion, industrial disputes and a series of litigations because of cases of encroachment into the duties of the other organisation.

“To argue that NBC should only be responsible for issuing licences and giving guidelines to broadcast houses while the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters should focus on the conduct of members and the quality of work is like saying the government should build schools, and employ teachers and then allow the teachers to supervise themselves.

“NBC is not just a licensing organisation for broadcasters but also a quality control mechanism for professional broadcasting in Nigeria. That covers broadcasters and their organisations.”

Semaka noted that NBC is empowered by law to establish a broadcast institute, the same as what the SNB bill is canvassing, adding that it will be against the law if the bill scales through.

He said broadcasters should rather rally around NBC to enable it to achieve the mandate it was established to fulfil including the establishment of the broadcasters institute rather than bringing parallel organisations whose duties are certainly going to conflict with the work of the NBC.

He added:

“Any attempt to take the government out of regulating the media will lead to abuses as it is difficult to be a judge in one's case. It is misleading to say the NBC has not shown any hope of regulating the media in Nigeria.

“It is on record that several media houses have been sanctioned for violating the Nigerian broadcast code. Expecting the NBC to be involved in in-house disciplinary actions against erring staff members is asking for too much.

“Staff mentoring and professional competency assessment should be done by the Nigerian Union of Journalists and Guild of Editors and not necessarily through another body to avoid conflicts.” 

FG rolls out code for regulating Twitter, Facebook, others

Meanwhile, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) recently announced the release of new regulations guiding the operation of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

NITDA made the announcement of the new regulation on Monday, June 13 via a statement by its spokesperson, Hadiza Umar.

According to Umar, the new regulation is expected to guide and protect the fundamental human rights of Nigerians and non-Nigerians living in the country as well as define guidelines for interacting in the digital ecosystem.

2023: FCI to partner with other agencies to combat fake news

In a related development, FactCheck Initiative (FCI) has created a team for a cause that will involve partnering with the government and other agencies in other to have free, fair, and peaceful elections in Nigeria void of any form of violence in 2023.

The main aim of this cause will be to spot, examine and respond to the impact caused by any misleading information ahead of the upcoming 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

Adeoye Temitope, country director, FactCheck Initiative says stopping fake news and misinformation is the inspiration behind the project.

Source: Legit.ng