The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has released the list of broadcast stations that it said breached the provisions of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code during the second quarter of the year, April to June 2018. The list documents 49 cases of breaches of various Sections of the Code by radio stations in the Abuja Zone. .
Only one television station, Channels TV, was listed and no broadcast station from any other zone was included in the list. In a total of 50 incidents of breaches, broadcast stations were warned for 32 incidents of breaches by the NBC while in another 18 incidents, 12 stations were fined N100,000.00 for breaches of the Code.
Crowther Love 104.5 FM in Abuja, the Federal; Capital Territory and Maloney FM in Keffi, Nasarawa State were fined a total of N600,000.00 for three breaches each while Kogi FM in Lokoja, Kogi State and Sobi FM in Ilorin, Kwara State were fined a sum total of N400,000.00 for four breaches; two apiece by each station. The rest 10 stations were fined N100,000.00 each.
The tabulated list comprising of radio and television stations across Nigeria shows the name of the station, the programme in which they breached the provisions of the Code, the essence or nature of breach, the section of the Code breached and the action taken by the NBC as a result.
In the Abuja Zone, radio stations were listed as broadcasting obscene musicals thereby breaching Section(s) 3.1.6 and/or 3.13.2.2 of the broadcast Code in 19 incidents; in eight of these incidents, the stations concerned were fined N100,000.00 each while in the rest 11 incidents, stations involved were warned. Specifically, NBC accused the stations of broadcasting “Not to be broadcast” (NTBB) musicals; musicals with vulgar lyrics and promoting criminal behaviours or replete with indecent lyrics.
In another set of seven cases of breaches in the same Abuja Zone, the NBC warned radio stations in five cases of broadcasting hate speeches and breaching political broadcasts that comprised of making unfair or derogatory remarks and broadcast of clips of campaign rally. Tt fined radio stations N100,000.00 in two incidents. This set was accused of breaching the provisions of one or more of Sections 4.5.1; 5.2.12; 7.6.6; 7.6.7; 4.3.1 (a,b,c,d,f); 3.6.1; 3.1.2; 0.2.3(g) or 2.12.6 of the broadcast Code.
The NBC also listed 10 various cases that it alleged breached the broadcasting Code in infomercials (advertisement broadcast as information for public good); unverifiable religious and tradomedical advertisements including claims of ability to cure/heal various ailments etc. in this category, the NBC warned radio station in four incidents of alleged breached, fined stations N100,000.00 each in five cases of breach while the action I took in one incident was not documented. In this category, Sections of the broadcast Code that radio stations breached were 7.3.5; 7.3.6; 7.3.18; 7.5.1;4.3.1(f and g); 7.3.7; 7.0.18; and 7.0.23.
Specifically, the essence/nature of breaches radio stations were accused of in this category include broadcasting hateful remarks; tradomedical infomercial offering advice on serious diseases; unverifiable tradomedical and religious claims to cure serious diseases; promotion of superstition; unverifiable religious claims; assurances of healing; and unverifiable claims to cure serious diseases, among others, all in breach of the Code.
In the final category of breach of advertisement code, the NBC listed 15 incidents involving one television station, Channels TV, and seven radio stations. They were accused of breaching one or more of Sections 7.0.10; 7.0.11; 7.0.13; 7.0.14; and 7.0.18 of the broadcast Code.
Specifically, the NBC accused them of violating the Code by presenters endorsing paid advertisements or schemes; promoting various schemes with bogus and unsubstantiated claims; excessive advertisement; use of superlative in advertisements; hyping of shows and financial schemes by presenters; and use of news-related format, ‘Breaking News’ in the advertisement.
One radio station, Crowther Love 104.5 FM, Abuja was fined N100,000.00 each in three separate incidents of breaching the broadcast Code. Nigeria Info 95.1 FM, Abuja was also fined N100,000.00 while the rest stations were warned.
