The Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, has described the sanctioning of Channels TV, AIT and Arise TV by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for airing online photos and videos of the EndSARS protests as a fresh attempt to further gag the media, suppress free speech and Nigerians’ access to information.
Recall that acting Acting NBC Director-General, Armstrong Idachaba, at a press conference in Abuja on Monday imposed monetary fines on the three television stations, accusing them of “unprofessional coverage” of the protests.
Reacting to the fines, the PDP in a statement condemned the clampdown on the TV stations smack of a fresh attempt to further gag the media, suppress free speech and Nigerians’ access to information.
“Indeed, this clampdown on broadcast stations, if anything, has heightened widespread public apprehensions of attempts at concealments of details and suppression of material evidence relating to human rights violations during the protest.
“In fact, this display of high-handedness by the NBC has hugely detracted from the efforts being made by well-meaning Nigerians to douse the tension in the land and reassure Nigerians at this critical time. The NBC should rescind this rushed clampdown and handle its regulatory role more professionally.
“Our party holds that, in the course of information handling, especially in a crisis situation as we witnessed in the last two weeks, where caution is required, draconian measures should not be an option. Rather, all efforts should be towards national healing.
“Instead of seeking to gag the media, Nigerians would rather expect establishments like the NBC to be on the side of the people by urging government agencies to come up with information, particularly, such that contain critical pieces of evidence that would guarantee justice for victims of brutality by unscrupulous security operatives.
“While the PDP calls for caution by all Nigerians, especially in the handling of information, we urge agencies of government to be mindful of actions that are capable of acerbating the already precarious situation in which we have found ourselves.