Nigerian human right activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress party, Omoyele Sowore, has called on the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) over the revocation of the broadcasting license of AIT Online, SilverbirdTV, 937RhythmFm, RayPowerFm and other media houses in the country after the issuance of corporate licensing.
According to verified reports from NBC, it was disclosed that the revocation of the media houses broadcasting license is as a result of their failure to meet up with the renewal requirements, which sum up to N2.66 billion.
Sowore, in a tweet made on his verified Twitter page on Friday at 12:48pm wrote: @nbcgovng shutting down of @AIT_Online @SilverbirdTV @937RhythmFm and others in Nigeria over “non-renewal of their licences “ is totally uncalled for, there should be nothing like renewal of media licences after they’ve been granted corporate status to broadcast.
These are just desperate measures aimed at controlling the media in Nigeria. In this age of technology, the idea behind media control and regulation is archaic, outdated and fruitless. @nbcgovng should reopen them NOW! #PinkVenomOutTODAY”
Justifying their action, NBC announced in its circular wrote: “some licensees are 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.
“Therefore, after due consideration, NBC hereby announces the revocation of the licenses of the…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…”
However, NBC has given a call to action for other broadcast stations who are yet to renew their licences with an ultimatum of 30 days interval from the day of the publication to also avoid ban or shut down.
