NBC accuses states’ TV, radio stations of partisanship

NBC accuses states’ TV, radio stations of partisanship

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has accused television and radio stations government-owned of partisanship in their election coverage, even as it threatened to sanction them.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a one-day Sensitization Meeting on Political Broadcasting organised by the Abuja Zonal Office of NBC, the NBC’s Director General Dr Emeka Mba said the commission has having serious issues with broadcast stations owned by state governments because most of them either shut out opposition politicians or did not give them equal airtime in their states.

But he said NBC had sent warnings to the stations involved and may sanction them if they failed to stop their unbalanced reporting. 

He warned broadcasters against relying on rumours or unverified news, especially those spread on the social media or by online newspapers.
In his paper presentation, a retired director with the NBC, Mr Mark Ojiah, warned journalists against “raising Nigerians’ temperature through reporting sensitive words used by politicians at their campaigns.”

He said broadcast stations should not announce the election results until INEC announces them officially.

Speaking to Daily Trust at the sideline of the meeting, the Abuja Zonal Director of NBC, Mrs Francisca Aiyetan, said journalists should tell Nigerians more about the other presidential candidates rather than focusing only on the PDP and APC candidates.