The Minister of information and
Culture, Lai Mohammed, has asked the
House of Representatives to include
internet broadcasting under the control
of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission
(NBC).
The request was contained in his
submission at the public hearing into a
bill to amend the Nigerian Broadcasting
Commission Act organised by the House
Committees in Information, Ethics and
Values.
Mr Mohammed said all online and
internet broadcasting entities should be
included in section two (c) of the bill.
Section two proposes to give NBC the
powers to “receive, process and
consider applications for the
establishment, ownership of radio and
television stations including…….”
“I want to add that internet
broadcasting and all online media
should be included in the bill,” Mr
Mohammed said.
The bill, if passed with the
recommendation of Mr Mohammed,
online broadcasting entities will have to
get approval from the NBC before
operating.
They would also be mandated to act
within the control of the Nigerian
government.
Opposition
The Executive Director of the Institute
of Media and Societies, Akin Akingbulu,
opposed the inclusion of online digital
platforms, saying it would further stifle
the civic space.
“The inclusion of the following among
categories of broadcasting services
licences will be injurious to the civics
space, freedom of expression and
media freedom in Nigeria,” he said.
Mr Akingbulu said the NBC Act fails to
provide independence of the regulatory
body.
He recommended that section 23, which
gives the information minister powers
to participate in the making of
regulations should be expunged.
He argued that the involvement of the
minister will turn NBC into a tool for
political interference.
“The power to give directives to the
commission, vested in the minister of
information in section six should be
removed and replaced with powers
which include policy formulation for
the broadcasting sector, the negotiation
of international agreements,
notification of the policy direction of
government and ensuring that the
independence of the commission is
protected at all times,” Mr Akingbulu
stated.

Also speaking on the bill, the
International Press Centre (IPC) and
Centre for Media Law and Advocacy, in
a joint presentation called for stronger
independence of the regulator.
The Executive Director of IPC, Lanre
Arogundade, who presented on behalf
of the groups, said “the conduct of the
NBC overtime presents it as an
extension of the office of the minister
of information which rarely acts
independently.”
Buhari govt stifling civic space
The present administration appears to
be exploring all avenues to regulate the
media, particularly online media.
On June 4, Mr Mohammed announced
the ban of Twitter, a few days after the
microblogging site removed a tweet by
Mr Buhari for breaching its rules.
The government also announced that
all social media must register with the
government to operate in Nigeria.
Last week, NBC, in a
newspaper
advertorial , asked all
social media platforms and online
broadcasting service providers in
Nigeria to apply for the broadcast
licence.
The announcement was placed in the
Nation newspaper and signed by the
then acting NBC’s director-general,
Armstrong Idachaba.
The Twitter suspension and the moves
to censor social media have been
criticised by many Nigerians, civil
society organisations and the
international community, which believe
it would stifle freedom of expression
and shrink the Nigerian civic space.
The lawmakers of the ruling All
Progressives Congress have also made
efforts to regulate social media with
draconian laws.

House of Representatives plenary
[PHOTO CREDIT: @HouseNGR]
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/468090-nigerian-govt-seeks-to-amend-nbc-act-wants-control-over-online-broadcasting.html

Make them pass am fast fast jare

Another is the prosecution of those still using Twitter... They need to start eating watery beans in the prison.