Anastasia Okechukwu Reporting
Media Rights Agenda, MRA and International Press Centre, IPC, has called on the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately reverse the N50million fine imposed on Channels Television.
The NBC had fine channel TV N5million for alleged violation of broadcasting code, this came as a result of an interview channels Suen Okinbaloye had with the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Datti Ahmed on March 22, where he said the swearing in of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu would mean an end to democracy in Nigeria.
Reacting to the fine, the Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, MRA, Edetaen Ojo, and the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, IPC, Lanre Arogundade, in a joint statement described the NBC action has unfair and Unjust.
According to them, NBC failing to hear channels TV side of the story, have acted unfairly and unjustly by hastily making it entire judgement on the accusation of one side.
“Assuming without conceding that Channels TV erred in the management of the said interview, it was still pertinent for NBC to have heard their side of the story. In failing to do so, NBC acted unfairly and unjustly as it based its heavy-handed decision on the claims of one side only,”
“NBC has in this instance again exercised quasi-judicial powers injudiciously, by constituting itself to the prosecutor and the judge over a case brought before it by a third party. In previous instances, it has also additionally been the accuser.
They said that the fine imposed on Channels Television should be reverse and channels TV should also be given opportunity to defend itself.
“Even if, as the NBC claims, it acted based on its own observation, it was still imperative for it to allow Channels Television to respond to the allegations, especially since that made it the accuser, the prosecutor and the judge.”