Date: 2021-08-13

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Thursday in Ilorin tasked broadcasts stations in Kwara to promote peace ahead of 2023 elections.

Mrs Franca Aiyetan, the Director, Broadcast Monitoring, NBC, made the call during an interactive session with Broadcast Stations’ Operatives in the state organised by the commission.

The event was themed: "The role of broadcaster in unifying the polity".

She appealed to broadcast stations in Kwara to imbibe the ethical broadcast principles of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code in all their current affairs and political programmes, adding that this will promote democracy and economic development in the state.

Aiyetan, who spoke on "Ethical guidelines for anchoring political/current affairs programmes", said the ethical broadcast code was clear on roles of Programme Anchors.

"Anchors on political and current affairs programmes must be an apolitical umpire, observe balance, go for accuracy, avoid indecent language, do not incite violence and avoid submissive comment," she stated.

According to her, Kwara is recently witnessing volatile political broadcasting with a lot of unfair and derogatory remarks and poor anchoring.

The NBC official, however, reminded broadcasters to remember the fundamental principle of broadcasting, saying that the commission deliberately chose the University of Ilorin’s radio (Unilorin FM 89.3) as the host of the programme because the station is neutral and apolitical out of all the 15 operational broadcast stations in the state.

Aiyetan said to anchor programmes on radio or television that the NBC code requires the programme anchor to be an apolitical umpire, observe balance, go for accuracy, avoid indecent language, do not incite or allow guests to make a provocative comment and must avoid submissive comments.

She warned that following the interactive meeting is a warning to all broadcast stations in Kwara that the commission will not hesitate to sanction media organisations that violate the laid down rules and regulations.

On her part, Mrs Pauline Ehusani, the Zonal Director of North-Central Zone of the NBC, who spoke on "Language and Broadcasting: Need for professionalism and decency", said if all broadcast channels in the state can use the code well, there won’t be any reason for them to be sanctioned.

Ehusani cited Rwanda as an example of a country that allowed unprofessional broadcasting and deliberate false news to cause genocide in that East African country.

She explained that the programme was put in place to prevent such occurrence in the state, named state of harmony, which is becoming tensed as a result of politics.

She said misinformation out of mischief has led to massive destruction of lives and properties in Nigeria, urging broadcasters to be gatekeepers who act as peace agents by adhering to the principles of responsibility, accuracy and neutrality.

The NBC zonal director also warned broadcast media in the state to be mindful of their choice of language, which she said can make or mar peace and development in any society.

"It is the responsibility of professional broadcasters to caution their guests on their choice of language, stating that language is an important aspect of broadcasting," she said.

Ehusani, who is in charge of Abuja zone, comprising Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States as well as the Federal Capital Territory, however, appreciated the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (Unilorin), Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, for allowing the meeting to take place in the institution.

On his part, the vice-chancellor urged the NBC to double its monitoring effort on broadcast stations to ensure strict compliance in line with global best practices.

Abdulkareem added that there was need to protect the peculiar situation in the country in order to promote our national integrity and sustain our unity.

The vice-chancellor who was represented by Mr Kunle Akogun, the Director of Corporate Affairs, Unilorin, noted that the theme of the interactive session was very apt at this point in the nation’s socio-political development.

This, he said, is especially with the multifarious social challenges facing the country at the moment and particularly as the 2023 general election is getting closer.

Abdulkareem opined that all stakeholders’ hands must be on deck to ensure peace-building in our very volatile polity, adding that "one of the instruments that can be used in this respect is the mass media especially the broadcast media".

He submitted that the Unilorin radio station has significantly contributed to the reduction of tension and youth-related anti-social behaviour on the university campus.