The Director General, National Broadcast Commission, NBC, Mr. Balarabe Musa has announced that the commission will by the end of September this year, shut down broadcast stations, who did not pay their license fee.
Mr. Musa, who announced this at a one-day workshop for Chief Executive Officers of Media Stations in the South -South and South East Nigeria, at Enugu State, cautioned CEO of stations against using their media outfits as a tool to destroy the country.
The workshop, which has its theme as “Implications of Broadcast Coverage on National Security”, drew information managers and media stakeholders from the geo political zones.
The Director General said they organized the workshop to exchange ideas and advice selves, owing to the many things that are going on in the industry.
He said as journalists, they have an obligation to protect their states, the country and sustain their license urging participants to insist on professionalism in discharging their duties.
Mr. Musa noted that NBC core mandate aside sanctioning erring stations is to regulate and guide broadcast media to make life easy for the people.
Speaking on “Implications of Broadcast Coverage on National Security” a former Director, Counter Terrorism, Department of State Service, Mr. A. Nwafor stressed that the worst natural disaster any country can have is bad leadership, which according to him, is worse than earthquake and Tsunami.
Mr. Nwafor underscored the implications of over reporting, under reporting and not reporting at all, calling on journalists to unleash their potential in investigative journalism to put out what is good for the people.
The Assistant Director General, NBC, Dr. Onocha, who disclosed that it takes five years to review license and failure to do so leads to withdrawal, advised stations especially government owned to audit their accounts, send copy to NBC and establish research department.
Dr. Onocha promised that the commission will resume its trainings, which it stopped due to financial constraint.
For Mrs. Gloria Makinde stations should screen their musicals as adverts approved by APCON are changed before it get to them adding that responsibility demands that editorial contents of stations should be cross checked before airing.
In a remark, the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, represented by Hope Isiani-Okereke pleaded with the media to collaborate with the police in security challenges by crosschecking their information before airing to avoid putting the state and country into anarchy.
Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Honourable Ben Nnanyelugo, was among the dignitaries that attended the workshop.
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