The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos has expressed concern over the Federal Government’s recent threat to sanction the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Trust Television for airing documentaries that allegedly glorified and fuelled terrorism and banditry in the country.
Recall, the Federal Government of Nigeria had announced that it will sanction the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Trust Tv for airing documentaries glorifying and fueling terrorism, and banditry in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed who disclosed this to newsmen described the BBC documentary titled “Africa Eye” where interviews were granted to bandit warlords and terror gangs as unprofessional, thereby promoting terror in the country.
The BBC was condemned for not upholding the same standards and tenets as they would have done in the UK.
Similarly, Trust Tv, owned by Media Trust Ltd. was denounced for using its platform to grant interviews to a bandit kingpin, Shehu Rekeb.
This, according to the Government, also promotes the activities of terrorists.
Lai Mohammed noted that the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is aware of both incidents and appropriate sanctions would be meted out to them.
“They are looking at which part of the Broadcasting Code has been violated by the BBC and Trust TV.
“Media is the oxygen that terrorists and bandits use to breathe.
“When otherwise reputable platforms like BBC can give their platform to terrorists showing their faces as if they are Nollywood stars, it is unfortunate.
“I want to assure them that they will not get away with it, appropriate sanctions will be meted to both the BBC and the Trust Tv,’’ he said.
But the Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said, while it is appropriate for the government to complain against any news report it finds offensive, it is indefensible that the same government will hastily conclude that “appropriate sanctions would be meted out to both platforms.”
Speaking further, he said it is trite law that Mr. Lai Mohammed, who is also a lawyer, could not be the accuser, prosecutor, and judge in the matter at hand.
Rather than proclaim the media houses guilty, he stressed that the minimum standard of expectation is that the Federal Government would develop a petition and dispatch the same either to the concerned media, or to appropriate regulatory bodies for intervention, and wait for them to act.
He added that the government’s threat could be interpreted as an attempt to stifle information flow in the country.
According to him: “This threat is an attempt, among several others, by the government to suppress information flow from the media. Sanctioning media organisations for granting interviews to bandit warlords on issues that have to do with the security challenges facing the country is also a subtle attempt at suppressing the rights to information.”
“What the threat aims to achieve is to make the media a one-faced channel of information where it is only permitted to give perspectives from government sources, noting that this is inconsistent with the journalistic practice of engaging in balanced coverage and providing balanced information to citizens,” he added.
The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos has expressed concern over the Federal Government’s recent threat to sanction the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Trust Television for airing documentaries that allegedly glorified and fuelled terrorism and banditry in the country.
Recall, the Federal Government of Nigeria had announced that it will sanction the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Trust Tv for airing documentaries glorifying and fueling terrorism, and banditry in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed who disclosed this to newsmen described the BBC documentary titled “Africa Eye” where interviews were granted to bandit warlords and terror gangs as unprofessional, thereby promoting terror in the country.
The BBC was condemned for not upholding the same standards and tenets as they would have done in the UK.
Similarly, Trust Tv, owned by Media Trust Ltd. was denounced for using its platform to grant interviews to a bandit kingpin, Shehu Rekeb.
This, according to the Government, also promotes the activities of terrorists.
Lai Mohammed noted that the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is aware of both incidents and appropriate sanctions would be meted out to them.
“They are looking at which part of the Broadcasting Code has been violated by the BBC and Trust TV.
“Media is the oxygen that terrorists and bandits use to breathe.
“When otherwise reputable platforms like BBC can give their platform to terrorists showing their faces as if they are Nollywood stars, it is unfortunate.
“I want to assure them that they will not get away with it, appropriate sanctions will be meted to both the BBC and the Trust Tv,’’ he said.
But the Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said, while it is appropriate for the government to complain against any news report it finds offensive, it is indefensible that the same government will hastily conclude that “appropriate sanctions would be meted out to both platforms.”
Speaking further, he said it is trite law that Mr. Lai Mohammed, who is also a lawyer, could not be the accuser, prosecutor, and judge in the matter at hand.
Rather than proclaim the media houses guilty, he stressed that the minimum standard of expectation is that the Federal Government would develop a petition and dispatch the same either to the concerned media, or to appropriate regulatory bodies for intervention, and wait for them to act.
He added that the government’s threat could be interpreted as an attempt to stifle information flow in the country.
According to him: “This threat is an attempt, among several others, by the government to suppress information flow from the media. Sanctioning media organisations for granting interviews to bandit warlords on issues that have to do with the security challenges facing the country is also a subtle attempt at suppressing the rights to information.”
“What the threat aims to achieve is to make the media a one-faced channel of information where it is only permitted to give perspectives from government sources, noting that this is inconsistent with the journalistic practice of engaging in balanced coverage and providing balanced information to citizens,” he added.
