Foreign broadcasters with offices in Nigeria who beam their signals into the nation are urged by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to register with the commission within 30 days.
The decision was made by Malam Balarabe Ilelah, Director-General of NBC, on Friday in Abuja during the presentation of provisional approval to the newly approved 67 licensees.
Ilelah also urged broadcast stations that stream online, such as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), to register with the commission in order to prevent disconnections and legal action.
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He declared that NBC was committed to working with law enforcement to crack down on unauthorized broadcasters in the nation.
The head of NBC urged licensees who still owed money to pay up quickly or risk having their licenses revoked for broadcasting illegally.
The commission will have no choice but to work with security and anti-corruption agencies to redeem the debts because refusal to pay is considered economic sabotage, he said.
He urged the newly approved 67 licensees to return President Muhammadu Buhari’s favor by using the license within the allotted timeframe.
They were admonished by Ilelah to behave responsibly and in accordance with the Act, the Code, and other applicable laws governing broadcasting.
The president’s endorsement demonstrates Buhari’s desire for media diversity and freedom of expression.
Therefore, I beg you to support our democratic values, national unity, and cultural heritage in addition to the gesture.
He, therefore, advised the new licensees to pay attention to safeguarding the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria through their broadcast.
” This is in addition to promoting and sustaining the Nigeria’s diverse culture by ensuring diversity in programming content for the Nigeria’s widest audience.“Most importantly is to promote Nigerian content and encourage the production and projection of Nigerian life, hence try to achieve 100 per cent local content.
Broadcasters should be aware that one of the conditions for the start of test transmission is that they send staff to the recently founded Nigeria Broadcast Institute for training, the speaker said.
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Dr. Mustafa Lecky, the Chief Executive Officer of Afe Elamah Company Ltd. Edo, responded on behalf of the licensees and pledged that they would make every effort to advance national unity.
We promise to follow the rules and regulations on behalf of our members who have been granted this license. We won’t let up. We hold this very sacred trust in the highest regard.
“The commission will be pleased with us if we pay our annual licensee fees diligently and completely on time.”