The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has queried Channels Television over some comments made Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State, on one of its programmes recently.
The query was contained in a notice dated 24 August and personally signed by Balarabe Ilelah, NBC Director-General.
Governor Ortom was a guest on Sunrise Daily, the station’s flagship breakfast and current affairs programme, on Tuesday in which he lambasted the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari over handling the nation’s security challenges.
Reacting, the NBC accused Channels of allowing the Benue Governor to make “inciting, divisive and unfair comments” which were not challenged by the anchors.
The notice read: “The programme which had as guest the Executive Governor of Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom, was observed to contain inciting, divisive and unfair comments which were not thoroughly interrogated by the anchors.”
According to the NBC, Channels allegedly negated Sections 1.10.4, 3.1.1, 3.3.1(b), 3.3.1(e), 3.11.1(a), and 3.12.2 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
“Consequently, Channels Television is required to explain why appropriate sanctions should not be applied for these infractions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Your response should reach the Commission within 24 hours of the receipt of this letter,” the broadcast regulator added.
In a similar development, the anchors of the programme, Chamberlain Usoh and Kayode Okikiolu, have been reportedly summoned by the NBC over the Ortom interview, as well as that conducted with Kunle Olawunmi, a retired Navy Commodore and military intelligence officer.
The presenters left Lagos this morning to honour the invitation and are already in Abuja with their lawyers, according to the Punch.
Discussion about this post