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The recently released Nigerian Broadcasting regulatory code (or framework) still appears to be facing strong headwind given the recent comments from a serving board member of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) – the agency that regulates the Nigerian broadcasting space.
Mr Salihu Aluko, a board member of NBC and a legal practitioner, has stated that, in his expert opinion, the regulatory code as presented to Nigerians by the country’s Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohamed cannot be the substantive broadcasting framework for Nigeria.
Mr Aluko, at an NBC Board press conference, said: “The Board of the NBC wishes to make clear that the only code we recognise and which we shall work with as the policy and standard of NBC is the 6th edition of NBC Code 2019. The reviewed (new) code has no endorsement and therefore, is not recognised in the regulation of broadcasting of Nigeria.
Mr Aluko also reiterated a warning already issued by other interested stakeholders that the new code “carries the potential of resulting in investor confidence loss in the broadcasting industry ecosystem”.
He also took issue with the acting Director-General of the NBC, Amstrong Idachaba, who, in his opinion, has “falsely claimed” that the amended broadcasting code has the Board endorsement, saying that “nothing could be further from the truth”.
