Friday, March 29, 2024
More

    Latest Posts

    DHQ declares eight wanted for killing soldiers in Delta

    The Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted over their roles in the recent killing of 17 military personnel in Delta State. The military released...

    Military yields to pressure, frees abducted Lagos editor

    Military authorities, on Thursday, yielded to pressure and released the Editor of FirstNews, Segun Olatunji, who was abducted from his home in Lagos State...

    Adesua Etomi pens heartwarming note to hubby Banky W on his birthday

    Nollywood actress Adesua Etomi has taken to Instagram to pen a detailed and heartwarming note to her husband Banky W on his birthday. On March...

    NSCDC deploys 35,000 personnel for Easter

    The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, has deployed 35,000 personnel across the county to ensure a hitch-free Easter celebration. According...

    NBC orders TV, radio stations not to name victims, report ‘details’ of terrorist attacks

    The National Broadcasting Commission has ordered television and radio stations in Nigeria not to divulge “details” of the activities of bandits, terrorists and kidnappers in their reports.

    The regulator specifically directed radio and television stations not to “glamourise the nefarious activities of insurgents” during their daily Newspaper Reviews. As an unwritten custom, broadcast stations in Nigeria review Newspaper headlines daily before their breakfast shows.

    But the NBC, in a letter dated July 7, 2021, issued to television and radio stations, stressed the need for “caution” by broadcasters while reporting security challenges in the country.

    The letter titled, ‘Newspaper Reviews And Current Affairs Programmes: A Need For Caution’, was signed by the Director, Broadcast Monitoring, Francisca Aiyetan, on behalf of the new Director-General of the Commission, Balarabe Ilelah.

    A copy of the letter obtained by The PUNCH, partly reads, “Headlines of most Newspapers on a daily basis are replete with security topics. While bringing information on security to the doorsteps of Nigerians is a necessity, there is a need for caution as too many details may have an adverse implication on the efforts of our security officials who are duty-bound to deal with the insurgency.

    “The Commission, therefore, enjoins broadcasters to collaborate with the government in dealing with the security challenges by;

    “Not glamourising the nefarious activities of insurgents, terrorists, kidnappers, bandits etc.

    “Advising guests and/or analysts on programmes not to polarise the citizenry with divisive rhetoric, in driving home their point.

    “Not giving details of either the security issues or victims of these security challenges so as not to jeopardise the efforts of the Nigerian soldiers and other security agents.”

    The Commission also reminded the broadcast stations to be guided by provisions of Sections 5.4.1(f) and 5.4.3 of the NBC Code which states thus:

    “The broadcaster shall not transmit divisive materials that may threaten or compromise the divisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a sovereign state.

    “In reporting conflict situations, the broadcaster shall perform the role of a peace agent by adhering to the principle of responsibility, accuracy and neutrality.”

    For over a decade, Nigeria has been grappling with insurgency, especially in the North-Eastern part of the West African nation. At various times, the Nigerian Army and the Presidency had claimed that Boko Haram fighters and those of its splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa Province, had been defeated but the marauders continue to strike with crude savagery and unimaginable guts. According to Global Conflict Tracker, the insurgents have killed nearly 350,000 innocent women, children and farmers in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, amongst other volatile places, since 2009.

    On the other hand, the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has in recent time, attempt to muzzle the press in Nigeria by prodding the National Assembly to amend the Nigeria Press Council Act and the National Broadcasting Commission Act, one that has been fiercely opposed by media stakeholders who have described the move as an information blackout akin to the infamous Protection Against False Accusations Decree, otherwise known as Decree 4 of 1984.

    The Federal Government had also announced the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria on June 4, 2021, citing “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

    Latest Posts

    DHQ declares eight wanted for killing soldiers in Delta

    The Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted over their roles in the recent killing of 17 military personnel in Delta State. The military released...

    Military yields to pressure, frees abducted Lagos editor

    Military authorities, on Thursday, yielded to pressure and released the Editor of FirstNews, Segun Olatunji, who was abducted from his home in Lagos State...

    Adesua Etomi pens heartwarming note to hubby Banky W on his birthday

    Nollywood actress Adesua Etomi has taken to Instagram to pen a detailed and heartwarming note to her husband Banky W on his birthday. On March...

    NSCDC deploys 35,000 personnel for Easter

    The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, has deployed 35,000 personnel across the county to ensure a hitch-free Easter celebration. According...

    Don't Miss

    Electricity subsidy removal calls intensify amid rising industry debts

    As it happened with fuel subsidy, the government and major players in the power sector have all agreed on the need to allow customers...

    Tinubu places three-month ban on foreign trips for ministers, others

    President Bola Tinubu has banned ministers, heads of agencies, and other government officials from embarking on public funded foreign trips. The ban will last for...

    Naira rebounds to N1,400/$ as speculators offload forex

    The naira rebounded against the United States dollar on Wednesday at the official and parallel markets, with the local currency recording a significant gain...

    Omah Lay refuses to pick a girl at his concert, says he wants no trouble

    Omah Lay wants no trouble. While performing recently in Berlin, the singer refused to bring a lady from the crowd to join him on...

    National Assembly passes student loan bill

    The National Assembly, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives, has passed the prolonged student loan bill. The bill, which scaled first, second, and...

    Stay in touch

    To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.