The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Presidency to cause the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately withdraw their last warning by revoking the licenses of broadcast stations and shut them down over coverage of elections matters.
It was recalled that NBC threatened to revoke the licenses of broadcast stations and shut them down if the broadcasting stations continue to allow unpatriotic citizens in their studios by making utterances that are subversive, hateful, inciting, and negative conversations particularly in the post-2023 Presidential Election.
In a letter signed by the deputy director of SERAP, Mr. Kolawole Oluwadare said,
“The threat may stifle reporting on political and election-related issues, as well as have a deterrent effect on the public’s exercise of their right to freedom of expression on political and election-related issues, in particular issues deemed controversial or critical.
"The threat by the NBC is neither necessary nor proportionate, as it would unduly intrude upon Nigerians’ right to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.
Read part of the letter below:
“Political expression is a fundamental right. The threat by NBC creates a significant risk that legitimate expression may be prohibited.
“Such unlawful prohibition may prevent transparency and dissemination of information on legitimate issues of public interest around the 2023 general elections.
“We would be grateful if the requested action is taken within 48 hours of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.
“The threat may produce a direct impact on the work of broadcast stations in ways that are inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom.
"Your government has a legal responsibility to ensure an environment in which a diverse range of political opinions and ideas around the general elections can be freely and openly expressed and debated.
"The threat by the NBC is neither necessary nor proportionate, as it would unduly intrude upon Nigerians’ right to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.
“The use of vague and undefined phrases such as ‘unpatriotic individuals’ ‘subversive, hateful, and inciting utterances, particularly post-election, as grounds to threaten to shut down broadcast stations is inconsistent and incompatible with human rights requirements.
“The Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties impose legal obligations on your government to refrain from imposing restrictions which are not consistent with human rights requirements, including on discussion of political and election-related issues.
"It is also inconsistent with constitutional and international human rights requirements to threaten broadcast stations solely for their coverage of the issues around the general elections on the basis of vague phrases such as ‘unguarded statements, divisive and dangerous comments’, ‘negative conversations’ used by the NBC.
“The threat may stifle reporting on political and election-related issues, as well as have a deterrent effect on the public’s exercise of their right to freedom of expression on political and election-related issues, in particular issues deemed controversial or critical.
“The threat also represents a serious hindrance to the exercise of journalism, media diversity and media freedom, and participation.
“This kind of threat to journalism has furthermore serious implications on the public’s right to information, in particular in the context of the general elections where the role of the media is of particular importance.”