Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Tag: Arise TV

  • NBC Fines Arise TV, TVC N2m over Alleged Breach of Broadcasting Code

    NBC Fines Arise TV, TVC N2m over Alleged Breach of Broadcasting Code

    The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has imposed N2 million fines on Arise News and TVC for alleged breach of national broadcasting codes in the countdown to the 2023 general election.

    The Director General, NBC Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, announced the punishment in separate letters he wrote to the management of the affected organisations on February 3, 2023

    NBC said the fines should be paid within two weeks of the receipt of the letters or the sanction would be graduated.

    In its letter to TVC, the commission accused the television station of breaching the following sections of the Code: 1.10.4; 3.1.2; 3.1.2; 3.3.1(e); 4.2.2 (g); 4.2.2 (g); 4.3.1(e); 5.3.3 (c); 5.3.3 (e); 5.3.3 (f); and 5.5.1 (b).

    It accused TVC News of allowing derogatory and unfair comments to be broadcast on its station.

    Ilelah said the worrisome trend had become a house style on TVC.

    It said the unprofessional broadcasts by TVC include the Joint media Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council press briefing where Festus Keyamo said “Obasanjo and Atiku run a criminal enterprise, an aempire of fraud in Abuja…” and alleged that some goons of Atiku Abubakar were planning to eliminate Michael Achimugu, a whistle blower.

    It also excoriated TVC News of not giving equal news coverage to other political parties in all their news.

    In the letter to Arise TV, NBC said there were infractions on the following sections of the code: 1.10.4; 3.1.2; 3.3.1(e); 5.3.3 (e); 5.3.3 (f); 5.5.1 (b); 5.5.1 (d); and 5.5.6.

    The commission cited the broadcast of the presidential campaign rally of PDP in Delta, interview with former APC Campaign Director, Na’jaatu Muhammed, and broadcast of the PDP presidential campaign rally in Sokoto.

    It slammed Arise Global Media of giving prominence to unfair contents which are glamorized on Arise news programme “What is Trending”.

    More details shortly…

  • Lawyers file lawsuit against NBC over ‘punitive fines’ against Arise TV, Channels and AIT

    Lawyers file lawsuit against NBC over ‘punitive fines’ against Arise TV, Channels and AIT

    Some Nigerian lawyers under the aegis of Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative (DRLI), have filed a suit against the National Broadcasting Commission over the alleged punitive fines imposed on AIT, CHANNELS and ARISE TV.

    Recall LIB reported that the NBC sanctioned the television stations for allegedly violating the broadcast code, top of which is the use of unverifiable online video footages on social media. They were accused of airing unverified images of the alleged shooting which took place at Lekki toll gate.

    Read Also:  How I lost 2 pregnancies in SARS custody, teacher tells Lagos Judicial Panel

    In the lawsuit filed against the NBC, the lawyers are seeking “declaration of the fines as a stiffling effect against freedom of expression, an interefence with the television stations right to receive ideas and information without interference, a perpetual injunction against the NBC from imposing sanctions or fines or excessive, disproportionate, unlawful and indeed unconstitutional restrictions on television stations among other pleas.”

    The lawsuit which was filed by the organization’s lawyers, Solomon Okedara and Olumide
    Babalola is seeking the following reliefs before the federal high court in Abuja; 

    i. A DECLARATION that the Respondent’s arbitrary act of sanctioning and imposing fine of Three Million Naira (N3,000,000) on each of ARISE TV, CHANNELS TV and AIT purportedly in line with Sections 5.6.3 and 5.6.9 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code creates a chilling or stifling effect on freedom of expression and is likely to interfere with the right of
    the Applicant’s members to freedom of expression, particularly, their right to receive ideas and information without interference as guaranteed by section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the
    Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    ii. A DECLARATION that the fine of Three Million Naira (N3,000,000) imposed on each of ARISE TV, CHANNELS TV and AIT indeed constitutes an interference to the Applicant’s members’ right to freedom of expression, particularly, their right to receive ideas and information without interference guaranteed by section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal
    Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    iii. A DECLARATION that the respondent not being a judicial body lacks the power to impose fines on any broadcaster, including fines imposed on ARISE TV, CHANNELS TV and AIT and the imposition of such fines is null and void.

    iv. A CONSEQUENTIAL ORDER of setting aside the fine of Three Million Naira (N3,000,000) imposed on each of ARISE TV, CHANNELS TV and AIT as same was unlawfully imposed.

    v. A PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Respondent, its officers, agents and/or representatives from imposing sanctions or fines or excessive, disproportionate, unlawful and indeed unconstitutional restrictions on television stations including ARISE TV, CHANNELS TV, AIT and other television or radio stations which will interfere with the Applicant’s members’ right to freedom of expression, particularly, their right to receive ideas and information without interference.

    vi. AN ORDER of award of sum of One Million Naira only (N1,000,000) to the Applicant as the cost of this action.

    vii. AND SUCH OTHER ORDER (S) as this honourable Court may deem fit to grant in the circumstance.