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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has revoked the licences of broadcast stations it said were indebted to the commission.
Prominent amongst the stations were the African Independent Television (AIT); Ray Power FM, Silverbird TV (Silverbird Communications Co. Ltd Network), and Rhythm FM.
Also on the list are Greetings FM (Greetings Media Ltd); Tao FM (Ovidi CommunicationS Ltd); FM Okene; Zuma FM (Zuma FM Ltd); FM Suleja; Crowther FM (Crowther Communications Ltd); FM Abuja; We FM (Kings Broadcasting Ltd) FM Benin, among others.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, the Director-General of the NBC, Mallam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, recalled that in May 2022, the NBC published in the national dailies, the list of licensees that were indebted to the commission, and granted them two weeks to renew their licences and pay their debts or consider their licences revoked, frequencies withdrawn and the withdrawn frequencies reassigned to others who are ready to abide by the necessary requirements.
Ilelah said three months after the publication, some licensees were yet to pay their outstanding debts, in contravention of the National Broadcasting Commission Act CAP N11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, particularly section 10(a) of the third schedule of the Act.
“In view of this development, the continued operation of the debtor-stations is illegal and constitutes a threat to national security.
“Therefore, after due consideration, the NBC hereby announces the revocation of the licences of the under-listed stations and gives them 24 hours to shut down their operations. Our offices nationwide are hereby directed to collaborate with security agencies to ensure immediate compliance,” Ilelah said.
Ilelah further said the broadcast stations that have not renewed their licences for the current duration were advised to do so within the next 30 days to avoid sanctions.
“Also, the commission calls on all IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and all other broadcast stations that are streaming online to register with the Commission to avoid disconnection. Broadcasters should note that, having a DTT or FM licence does not warrant a broadcaster to stream online; they are two different licences,” Ilelah also said.
