Outspoken Delta politician, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has faulted the N5m fine slammed on Nigeria Info 93.3fm by Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), describing it as an infringement on freedom of speech.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Onuesoke, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the action of the media regulatory body was an infringement on freedom of speech.
Onuesoke said: “Government should have taken the radio station to court, instead of a blanket fine of N50m. If NBC continues like this it will create fear in the media houses.’’
The PDP Chieftain argued that it was somewhat contradictory that a country like Nigeria, would choose to impose a fine on a media house.
He pointed out that it is globally acknowledged that one of the core functions of the mass media is to inform the society on all ranges of issues, not even to the exclusion of national security issues, adding that the mass media has a role to play in ensuring that all possible shades of opinions are given access to the media platform.
Onuesoke further argued that whether or not what Dr Mailafia said on the radio station was a false claim, it is outside of the objectives of a responsible regulatory framework to sanction a radio station for a comment an individual made, more so that the personality in question, Dr Obadiah, had been quizzed and released by law enforcement agents.
It would be recalled that the NBC placed a fine of N5m on a radio station, Nigeria Info93.3fm over a statement by a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr.Obadiah Mailafia.
Mailafia had alleged during a radio programme that a northern state governor is a commander of Boko Haram.
Source: Vanguard