Should Lagos Radio Station (Nigeria Info) be fined N5million for airing Dr. Obadiah Mailafia’s interview?

Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC has fined Lagos Radio Station (Nigeria Info) N5million for airing the interview of former CBN Deputy Governor Dr. Obadiah Mailafia. The commission said in a press statement that the sanction was sequel to Professional misconduct while handling the Programme, “Morning Cross Fire,” aired on August 10, 2020, between 8.30am and 9.00am […]

Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC has fined Lagos Radio Station (Nigeria Info) N5million for airing the interview of former CBN Deputy Governor Dr. Obadiah Mailafia. The commission said in a press statement that the sanction was sequel to Professional misconduct while handling the Programme, “Morning Cross Fire,” aired on August 10, 2020, between 8.30am and 9.00am Daily Trust Saturday sampled the opinion of few Nigerians.

Yandeh Ahmad Mairiga, 60, Environmental/Public Health Consultant, Kaduna

Why should the station be fined five million naira? What is wrong over airing a man who boast that he has his own security network? Is it because he succeeded in exposing one of the conspirators of the crime against Hausa, Fulani, which the southern press suppresses massacre in area. If he has not said what was broadcast, the DSS in Jos, would have not been invited. Where will the freedom of speech article be thrown into? He should be let go.

Zainab Nasir Ahmad, 24, Development Worker, Kano

Media is for everyone; the fact that Mailafia used one particular station to voice out his opinion doesn’t mean the station is backing his claim. I believe they should not be fined. He said what he wanted to say to create unnecessary tension in the country. He should be responsible to every action concerning what he said.

Safiyanu Danladi Mairiga, 25, Student Gombe

I see no reason a radio station should be fined for airing Dr Obadiah Mailafiya’s interview. In the first place, the radio station didn’t compel him to air his view on the state of the nation especially on the security situation. If there should be penalty, then it should be for Dr Mailafiya and not the radio station. I believe the Nigeria Info Radio was operating in accordance to the provisions of the NBC laws and they won’t allow their station to be used by any group or individual to promote what is contrary to the laws of the state. Any attempt to compel the media outlet to pay the fine will only affirm the claim by some Nigerians that the Federal Government is making moves to infringe on the freedom of press. The decision is totally wrong and there is need for immediate reversal.

Davis Iheanachor, Journalist, Port Harcourt.

It is not fair. It is an attempt to gag the press and instill fear on the other media houses. The fine violates the right to free press. The fine is a systemic way of gagging the press and right to express ones opinion and views on issues. There are better ways of handling the matter such as carrying out investigation on the issue and carry out appropriate disciplinary actions where necessary.

Rukayya Umar Faruoq 24, Banker, Kano

In my opinion, any individual who uses any media channel to make a declaration should be held solely liable for it. I perceive the fining of Nigeria Info, over Mailafia’s statement as biased and an act of oppression, worthy of review. The radio house only served as a medium for information dissemination, which is obviously the purpose of their existence.

Ishaq Alhassan, 60, lecturer, Kaduna

I believe media outlets should be circumspect over what they let out because of the power of the media, more especially now with the challenges of the social media, which operates without any ethical boundaries. The government on the other hand should be concerned with encouraging the media to observe social responsibility rather than this drastic measure that is more punitive than corrective. More so when the said interview was done live, hence the station had very little control over the guest. Finally, I must reiterate that the media must be extremely mindful of social responsibility in all it does.

Nafisa Umar Garba, 30, Civil Servant, Gombe

In my opinion the NBC was right in its decision because as a media outlet the Nigeria Info Radio should be mindful of any content that is capable of escalating conflicts in the country. Even if the person in question has evidence, the internal and external security of the country should be a priority here. What they broadcast can cause disharmony and mistrust between government and the people. The fined will serve as a warning to other media outlets to ensure they strictly abide by the ethic of the journalism profession.

Dr Akintunde Akanni, Senior lecturer, school of communication, Lagos State University

The N5million penalty is ridiculous. Nigeria is a democratic country and there is court judgement to guide every agency of the state running official errands. NBC does not have the power to fine a radio station. Now, it is left to Nigeria Info FM to go to court and register their reservation. This will help a number of us who are stakeholders to broadcasting concern in the country. This leads me to the misconduct of NBC in recent times. With its recent amended codes, so many things have gone wrong. The Board of that commission is not in agreement with the Minister. The Minister seems to be acting on intuition and emotion whereas the Board appears to be guided. I will appeal to the Minister to be more democracy conscious and ensure the Board is reflective of the different segments of the society that are stakeholders in broadcasting.

Nasir Ummaisara Wunti, Businessman, Bauchi.

The NBC should device alternative penalties for radio stations instead of huge fine like N5million because in the event the station failed to pay the fine, definitely NBC will shut down the station and it is the ordinary workers earning a living that will suffer the consequences.

Mohammed Salihu Danlami, Chairman Coalition of Ethnic Nationality Youth Leaders of Nigeria, Kaduna

Dr. Obadiah Mailafiya, for a man of his status in the society and being an indigene of southern Kaduna, I believe he was talking with authority during the interview. The radio station would have believed he had gathered accurate information since the station was conducting an investigative journalism to the cause of the bloodshed in southern Kaduna. I believe Dr. Obadiah Mailafiya should be held responsible and not the radio station.

Bashir Abdullahi El-bash, 27, media consultant, Kano

From my own point of view, the radio station have nothing to do with what Mailafia has said.  It’s their duty to air the citizens’ views, comments and opinions of the happenings in the country. As government watchdog, and fourth estate of the realm, they have the responsibilities of digging beneath to cover the uncovered and ensure balance and fairness in their reporting. Mailafia should be held accountable for his words, in fact the radio station has helped our fight against insecurity if what he has said is true. So, I do not support NBC enforcing a fine on the radio station. When government does something good are they not aired?

Allwell Ene, Journalist / publisher, Port Harcourt

Fining of the Nigerian Info N5m for broadcasting Obadiah Mialafa’s interview on some governor’s sponsoring Boko Haram is an attempt to gag the press. The intention behind the fine is to put fear on the media in carrying out their constitutionally enshrined right on freedom of press. In as much as I don’t support, any media house that carried out unverified report the fine imposed on the Nigerian Info is targeted at gagging the press and put fear on them. This fine violates the right for free press and press freedom and should be reversed.

Adeola Ekine,, Lagos Chairperson, National association of women Journalists (NAWOJ) Lagos

In a democratic setting, where freedom of speech and freedom of expression is guaranteed, such shouldn’t have happened at all. The NBC fined the radio station because it was believed that the station allowed its guest, Dr Mailafia to use the channel to make hate speech. This brings us to the question of what constitutes hate speech, the man made a statement, and reiterated his stand on the opinion he made. How does that constitute to hate speech? Even if it was truly hate speech, how did the NBC made the accusation, prosecuted and judged the case. That was too much. We can see that various media rights NGO have condemned the action and the NBC is saying that the Information Minister didn’t seek its consent before increasing the hate speech fine from 500,000 to 5 million naira.