The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined Arise TV N2 million as a result of pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In response to a bogus letter that stated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was looking into Bola Tinubu, the news network's presidential candidate, for drug trafficking, NBC penalised the news organisation.
Dele Alake, the campaign's special media adviser for Tinubu and Shettima, had petitioned the regulatory authority to punish news stations for airing the false report, which had since been retracted.
“We hereby request the National Broadcasting Commission to sanction the offending stations in the name of justice and the protection of the rights of our candidate as well as avoidance of future reoccurrence,” the petition read.
Per the APC’s request, NBC has now handed a fine of N2 million to Arise Television.
In a letter signed by its director general, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, the commission said Arise Television violated multiple provisions of the broadcasting code.
“The National Broadcasting Commission has imposed a penalty of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira only) on Arise TV, being sanctioned for the violations of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
“The National Broadcasting Commission, between the 19th and 26th of September, 2022, went around the country to sensitize broadcasters and remind them of the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and the Electoral Act as we count down to the 2023 general elections.
“The commission also underscored the need for broadcasters to double-check the veracity of any information, especially those gotten from social media (User Generated Content UGC), which is specifically affirmed by section 5.6.5 of the Nigeria Broadcasting code.
“Likewise, we draw attention to Section 5.0.1 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which provides that news shall be presented as a truthful and accurate account of an event or phenomenon,” the letter read.
NBC further said that it would not hesitate to sanction broadcasters that contravene its requirements.
“Nevertheless, the commission uses this opportunity to warn all broadcasters to adhere to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Regulations and other Extant Laws, as it will not hesitate to sanction any broadcaster that contravenes the above requirements,” it added.