NBC Revokes Licences Of 54 TV, Radio Station

[caption id="attachment_17577" align="alignnone" width="614"]Mallam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, NBC DG[/caption]

Owing to N5bn debt, the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has revoked the licences of 54 television and radio stations nationwide.

Mallam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, Director-General of the commission, NBC, made this revelation on Monday at a briefing in Abuja.

According to Kawu, the television and radio station licences was revoked because the commission was owed about N5 billion as licence fees with a deadline of March to pay or be shut down.

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He also added that about 120 stations would soon be shut down following failure to come on air within the mandatory two years allowed by law.

He said the era of rushing to Aso Villa to wield influence to evade payment of licence fees was over, adding that NBC would not allow use of political connections to violate its Act with impunity.

Kawu said: “Over the past two weeks, I gave directive that the licences of 54 companies issued licences but had refused to pay their fees within the mandatory 60-day window be revoked. And those licenses are revoked.

“There is another list of over 120 licences that were paid within the mandatory period but were unable to come on air, within the mandatory two years; they are also being processed for revocation. And they will be revoked.

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“Frequencies cannot be held indefinitely by individuals. We are delighted that Nigerians are investing in setting up radio and television stations; they create jobs; open up accesses for content producers to showcase talents and are contributing to national development.

“But no one has a right to hold on to allocated frequencies indefinitely, when the resource itself is finite and there are other people waiting and ready to make use of those frequencies.

“Kawu also said NBC will shut down radio and television stations which have refused to pay outstanding licence debts of about N5 billion.”

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