The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has suspended the licence of Daar Communications PLC, owners of Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Ray Power until further notice.
Director-General of NBC, Modibbo Kawu, announced the shutdown Thursday evening in Abuja saying the decision was based on the violation of broadcasting code by the stations which is backed by provisions of Section 10 of the Third Schedule of the NBC Act Cap N11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Apart from violating broadcasting code, Kawu said the decision was also taken for the failure of the broadcast stations to pay their license fees as when due, despite even persistent warning to the company to toe the line of caution.
Daar Communications Founder, Raymond Dokpesi, had earlier accused the Presidency of intimidating his media group.
He made the allegation while speaking at a press conference in the company’s corporate headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
“I have it on strict authority and very assured information that the highest echelon of the government, the Presidency, queried and challenged the NBC that they were not doing their jobs: ‘How on earth could they be hearing and seeing on AIT what they termed hate speech?
“Any criticism of this government is hate speech. The NBC is acting under the authority of the President and Commander-in-Chief. The licensing fees in Nigeria is one of the highest in the world. There is no country in the world where you have this type of exploitative fees. I have appealed for a reduction because the payments cannot be sustained by private broadcasters in Nigeria.”
However, the NBC boss noted that in one of his Commission’s meetings with the management of DAAR Communications held on 2nd June, 2017, it expressed its disappointment with the way and manner Hate Speech, divisive and inciting comments are applied in discussion of national issues in breach of the provisions of the NBC Act and Broadcast Code, saying that the suspension stands till further notice, noting that the decision was not taken on partisan consideration.
