NBC to broadcast stations: Pay your debts or face sanctions

Management of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has warned that its hammer will soon fall on broadcasting stations that are indebted to it.
The Director General of the Commission, Mr. Is’haq Kawu made the declaration yesterday in Enugu during the 2018 summit of the commission.
According to him, broadcasting stations in Nigeria owe the commission N4.2 billion and failure to pay in the next few weeks will attract sanctions.
He also warned that stations not adhering to NBC code of broadcasting would be shutdown as the country prepares for the 2019 general elections.
The Director General remarked that it was gratifying that the country had made steady progress since it returned to democratic rule, adding that: “Down the line, Nigeria has made steady progress in spite of daunting challenges.”
He pointed out that the NBC has been in the vanguard of ensuring that content providers created programmes that would deepen awareness on socio-economic and political life of the country.
Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, said that the commission remains resolute in its drive at ensuring that the 2019 general elections are credible, free and fair.
The electoral umpire also appealed to media content providers to ensure that they were not entangled with partisanship preparatory to the elections.
Represented at the event by the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Enugu, Mr Emeka Ononammadu, the INEC boss said all is set for the 2019 polls and the commission has showed that commitment by releasing the polls time table in March.
“We are 214 days away from the presidential election. That time table remains intact baring any constitutional change,” he said.
According to him, the electoral body had a well planned programme to ensure that the coming general elections helped in deepening the country’s democracy.
“A well planned election can help deepen our democracy and that is what we are doing,” he said.