Ortom’s Channels Tv interview: PDP kicks, warns Buhari not to gag media
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State
House of Representatives members, who are of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) extraction, have warned the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to halt hounding of perceived enemies of the administration and stifling the press saying that it was antithetical to democratic ethos.
The opposition lawmakers reacting to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and DSS move against Channels Television and some anchors of the station over Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State’s interview said that it was an “abuse of democracy and move to stifle press freedom”.
They accused the President of trying to gag the media by using the NBC and security agents to stifle press freedom through sanctions and harassment
The PDP lawmakers on Friday in a statement issued by Kingsley Chinda, leader of the caucus, lamented the government latest notice of infraction issued by the NBC against Channels Television which subsequently lead to the grilling of some anchors of the station by the DSS over its interview with Governor Ortom and said it an “abuse of democracy and moves to stifle press freedom”.
“Hobbesian state amidst the raging insecurity currently engulfing the nation.”
“Certainly, there are more pressing issues demanding statecraft and leadership than the hounding of journalists and repression of the media merely on account of interviews granted by opposition figures.”
“We are also monitoring widespread reports that members of staff of Channels Television have been invited to the office of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) for interrogation in connection with their handling of the programme.
“The government of President Muhammadu Buhari is preoccupied with hounding perceived enemies of the administration and stifling the press, acts which are antithetical to democratic ethos.
“The assault on press freedom has reached a crescendo under this administration. Little wonder that Nigeria has emerged as the most dangerous place in West Africa for journalists, according to a survey released by global media advocacy organization, Reporters without Borders also known as Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) to mark the 2020 World Press Freedom Day.
“We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to live up to his mandate to defend and protect the Constitution by immediately directing all relevant organs of State to desist from any further harassment of Channels Television or any other print or electronic media platform, as same violates the provisions of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression and, by extension, Press freedom”, the PDP caucus said in the statement.
The PDP caucus also called for “the immediate and unconditional release of any journalist arrested and/or detained by any law enforcement agency simply for exercising his /her journalistic license.”
Governor Ortom in the interview had said: “Mr President is pushing me to think that what they say about him, that he has a hidden agenda in this country is true because it is very clear that he wants to Fulanise but he is not the first Fulani president.
“Shagari was a Fulani President, Yar’ Adua was a Fulani President and they were the best in the history. But President Buhari is the worst President when it comes to issues of security and keeping his promises.
“Go back to 2015, what did he say, human rights issues, he talked about press freedom, about the economy, corruption, security, tell me one that Mr President has achieved.
“He has achieved some level of development in other sectors but these prominent things that are concerns to Nigerians and we are all worried about.. tell me when Mr President has come out to address them. Is it corruption, we are worse in the history of this country”.
The NBC’s queried Channles Tv for violating broadcast codes during the airing Ortom’s interview
NBC letter read; The National Broadcasting Commission monitored the broadcast of your programme Sunrise Daily between 7am and 9am on Tuesday August 24, 2021.
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. These negate the following provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code;
Section 1.10.4: “The Broadcaster shall ensure that its Presenter…..shall handle it with professionalism and sound judgment to ensure that it does not loose focus or lead to unfair treatment or institution”
Section 3.1.1: “No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference or organization alive or dead…”
Section 3.3.1(b): “the broadcaster shall ensure that all sides to any issue of public interest are equitably presented for fairness and balance”
Section 3.3.1(e): “the broadcaster shall not treat any individual or organization in an unjust or unfair manner”
Section 3.11.1(a): “the broadcaster shall ensure that language….likely to encourage or incite to crime or lead to disorder is not broadcast”.
Section 3.12.2: “the broadcaster shall not transmit a program that incites or likely to incite to violence among the populace, causing mass panic, political and social upheaval, security breach and general social disorder”
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 receipt of this letter.
Source: thisnigeria.com
