Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has summoned two Channels Television presenters, Chamberlain Usoh and Kayode Okikiolu.
Usoh, Okikiolu and two other anchors of Channels TV’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ breakfast programme were invited to the Abuja office of the regulator on Thursday over comments made against President Muhammadu Buhari by two guests on the programme this week.
Sources confirmed that the presenters left Lagos in the this morning and were already in Abuja to honour the invitation. They were accompanied to the interrogation visit at the NBC office by their lawyer.
The NBC was not comfortable with an interview granted the privately-owned news television station by the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, who said he was disappointed with the way President Buhari is handling the nation’s security challenges.
And to compound matters, the Commission, who regulates the broadcast media, was also very uncomfortable with the interview granted to Channels by Navy Commodore Kunle Olawunmi, who alleged that current members of President Buhari cabinet, Governors and members of the National Assembly are Boko Haram sponsors.
Earlier, the NBC had queried Channels Television over the “inciting, divisive and unfair comments” made by Ortom on the programme on Tuesday.
In the letter titled ‘Notice of Infraction’ dated August 24, 2021 and signed by its Director-General, Balarabe Ilelah, the NBC said “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.”
It said the actions 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 NBC said.
The NBC had in May slammed a fine of N5million each on Channels TV and Inspiration FM Lagos for alleged infractions of the broadcasting code.
Channels TV had featured the spokesperson for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Emma Powerful, on its ‘Politics Today’ programme.