From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Condemnations have continued to trail the threat and sanctions meted out to broadcast stations and journalists by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
The regulatory body had accused Arise Television of flouting the NBC Code by not curtailing the utterances of guests especially on its Morning Show programme, and further threatened to sanction the media organisation.
But the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, contended that the action of NBC was anathema to the Constitution of Nigeria which guarantees freedom of expression.
Its Director, Dr Sam Amadi, explained that any attempt to suffocate the existence of the media would lead to anarchy and authoritarian.
Amadi maintained that the NBC should allow those who feel defamed to seek legal redress than for it to slam unwarranted sanctions on media organisations.
Also, Research Fellow of the School, Paul Obi, added that the action of NBC has created an impression of being an appendage of the current administration.
According to him, the NBC was not established to please or act as a ‘candy shop’ for the three branches of government neither was it set up to protect the President and his office from being held accountable over constitutional breaches like forgery of document(s) and official misdemeanor.
Obi said: “For the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, we find the recent threats and warning by the NBC on Arise News as an indication of the decay of our democracy and smacks of partisan overzealousness of a regulatory agency that was and is strategically meant to serve Nigerians.
“Rather, NBC as acted as if it is an appendage, and overzealous pleaser of the Presidency and top echelon of Nigerian power strata.
“While the Abuja School is not holding brief for any individual, organisations, institutions or have an agenda, we find the reasons the NBC relied upon to issued a warning to Arise News as befuddling, undemocratic, autocratic and as well unconstitutional.
“By sending a threat letter to Arise News titled: “Preponderance of Derogatory and Incendiary Remarks: Final Warning” the NBC exposed itself in a fishing expedition to please the egos of the Presidency, the ruling class and shield them from the democratic tenets of accountability and transparency.
“For the NBC to have stated that the Arise News “programme contained unguarded incendiary remarks by Dele Farotimi against the legislature, executive, judiciary and Mr President” is indicative of the complete derailment of its statutory obligation to the Nigerian state and its people.
“First, the NBC was not established to please or act as a candy shop for the three branches of government. Nor was it set up to protect the President and his office from being held accountable over constitutional breaches like forgery of document(s) and official misdemeanour.
“Second, the question we need to ask NBC and its agents provocateurs is to find out whether Mr Dele Farotimi’s interrogation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged forgery case associated with the Chicago State University (CSU) and the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar constitute Preponderance of derogatory and incendiary remarks?
“Has the NBC lost its track and memory that the Nigerian 1999 Constitution in Section 137, Subsection 1, Paragraph J stipulated that “A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if – (a)….(j) He has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission?”