Broadcasting
NCC Intensifies Copyright Awareness in Yola
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), is intensifying copyright awareness creation among its sister agencies and stakeholders in Adamawa State.
Mr. Yusuf Ibrahim, the State Coordinator, NCC Yola Office, who disclosed this, informed that the Commission’s operatives embarked on several copyright sensitisation outreaches to relevant stakeholders in the State in commemoration of the World Book and Copyright Day on 23rd April and World IP Day on 26th April 2022.
According to him, the visits were also aimed at exploring avenues for further collaboration and support for the Commission’s antipiracy enforcement activities, public enlightenment drive and to encourage registration of copyright works.
Mr. Ibrahim said some of the stakeholders visited on World Book and Copyright Day were NAS FM and Fombina FM (FRCN), Yola, adding that the NCC State Office used the opportunity to present to the broadcast stations copies of DG’s Press Statement on the Day, and other copyright enlightenment materials.
The State Coordinator, who fielded questions bordering on copyright during interview sessions with newsmen, used the opportunity to enlighten the public on the consequences of illegal reproduction and distribution of copyright works and the need to support the Commission’s antipiracy drive in the state and its environs.
Also on World Book and Copyright Day, operatives of NCC Yola Office, according to Mr. Ibrahim, visited the following media stakeholders: Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation; Abti Printing Press and Government Printing Press all in Yola.
He informed that the Director, Programmes, Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation, Mr. Michael Bello, received the NCC State Coordinator and his team who in turn presented him with the NCC Director- General’s Press Statement for the Day and gifts from the Commission, including fliers and other enlightenment materials. The State Coordinator later fielded questions from journalists on the essence of the Day and copyright awareness messages to the Yola public.
The State Coordinator and his team also used the occasion pay inspection visits to selected bookshops in the State capital.
NCC Enlightens Printing Outlets, Resolves Stakeholder Dispute in Yola
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) carried out copyright awareness outreaches to two Printing Presses in Yola in commemoration of the World IP Day on 26th April 2022.
The NCC State Coordinator, Mr. Yusuf Ibrahim, who revealed this, stated that the places the copyright sensitisation was carried out were Abti Printing Press Ltd and Government Printing Press, Yola.
According to him, the General Manager of Abti Printing Press Ltd, Mrs. Priscilla Abdul and the staff met with the NCC team where the State Coordinator briefed her on the purpose of the visit and presented a copy of the DG’s Press Statement and other copyright awareness materials to the GM.
Mr. Ibrahin added that at the Government Printing Press, Yola, the Managing Director, Mr. Jerry Maka received the NCC team and took them on a tour of facilities of the Printing Press. The Commission presented him with gifts and some copyright awareness material
In another development, the NCC Yola Office, in line with the Commission’s mandate of resolving disputes between its stakeholders, met with the two factions of the Film Image Protection Professionals Association of Nigeria (FIPPAN), Adamawa State Branch to address some contentious professional issues between them.
The NCC Yola Office Coordinator, Mr. Yusuf Ibrahim, who disclosed this in a report, informed that the reconciliatory meeting which held in the Commission’s Yola Office on 15th of June 2022, ended on a positive note.
He indicated that the hitherto contentious issues relating to appointments, areas of jurisdiction and enforcement were amicably resolved.
Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) has established six committees to help strengthen and modernize the country’s broadcasting industry.
The committees will focus on content creation, skills development, digital transformation, sustainability, policy and commercial opportunities
The initiative aims to support industry growth and improve collaboration between broadcasters, regulators and media experts
The official launch recently, was led by Tony Akiotu, president, BON and attended by media professionals, program directors, former journalists and heads of specialized media organizations.
The event brought together several prominent figures in Nigeria’s media industry, including veteran broadcaster and trainer Bimbo Oloyede, Tony Uyah of M4S TV, Kingsley Uranta of Channels Television, Ismael Sani of Platinum TV and Ibrahim Shehu of Trust TV.
Together, they are expected to help drive innovation and support the growth of Nigeria’s broadcasting sector.
According to Akiotu, the committees are intended both to help shape industry policy and to provide a forum for dialogue between BON and broadcasting experts.
Akiotu said the ad hoc committees were intended to strengthen BON’s work and ensure that the umbrella body for Nigeria’s broadcasters played a more direct and meaningful role in developing the country’s broadcasting sector.
The six committees reflect the sector’s main priorities. The first focuses on collaboration and innovation to promote content creation.
The second is dedicated to training and talent development, while the third focuses on industry sustainability by improving the sector’s long-term financial viability.
A fourth committee will focus on digital transformation and work with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on regulatory issues.
The remaining two committees will oversee public policy advocacy and the development of sports and commercial rights to help broadcasters increase revenue and attract more investment. Together, the committees are expected to guide BON’s efforts to modernize and strengthen Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
The committees, chaired by members of BON’s General Assembly and supported by the organization’s Secretariat, have an initial 12-month mandate that may be renewed if necessary.
They are required to submit a progress report within three months and implement approved recommendations within the following six months.
The arrangement is intended to ensure close oversight and the timely implementation of their work.
Akiotu also reminded committee members that Nigeria pioneered television broadcasting in Africa and urged them to carry out their work with greater effectiveness and efficiency.
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says it is investigating about 34 tertiary institutions over allegations that they failed to refund students whose tuition fees were paid twice under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television.
Sawyerr said the agency had deployed a five-member investigative team, including operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and internal auditors, to examine the allegations.
According to him, the investigation was prompted by numerous complaints received from affected students.
“As of right now, there are 34 institutions that we are looking at closely with respect to this issue,” he said.
Sawyerr explained that the double payment issue arose because President Bola Tinubu directed that the student loan scheme commence in the middle of an academic session instead of at the beginning.
He said the decision compelled many students to pay their tuition fees to meet registration deadlines while awaiting approval of their loan applications.
“What happened is that a lot of schools got double payment; some from the students and some from us,” he said.
“The refund process is entirely out of our hands. It is the recipient of the double payments that is obliged to make refunds to the students.”
The NELFUND boss noted that many students had borrowed money from family members, friends and other sources to pay their tuition with the expectation of receiving refunds once the loans were disbursed.
He said while some institutions had promptly refunded affected students, others had failed to do so.
“Some have been very good at this. Others haven’t been so good at it,” Sawyerr said.
“I reserve judgement on the intentionality around it because, for some of them, they just didn’t have the process to make refunds.”
Sawyerr disclosed that NELFUND was exploring a tokenised payment system that would enable students to authorise tuition payments directly to their institutions, thereby reducing the likelihood of duplicate payments.
He said the agency deliberately chose not to disburse tuition loans directly to students to minimise the risk of fund diversion.
“Paying the funds to the students could really lead to the temptation for them to divert and do other things,” he said.
The managing director, however, acknowledged that NELFUND lacked the statutory powers to compel institutions to refund students or prosecute officials found culpable.
He added that many frustrated students had submitted complaints not only to NELFUND but also to anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Sawyerr also expressed concern over increases in tuition fees by some institutions following the introduction of the student loan scheme.
He said NELFUND had declined to pay institutions that increased their tuition fees beyond acceptable levels.
“Some schools, because they get paid easily, started to put up their fees. We refused, point blank, to pay institutions who had hiked their fees beyond a certain level,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to investigating every reported irregularity and strengthening the implementation of the student loan programme through continuous monitoring and internal reviews.
Broadcasting
Obi, NDC Presidential Candidate Faces N50Bn Defamation Claim over Alleged Podcast Remark
Abayomi Arabambi, national vice chairman (South-West) of the Labour Party, has demanded a public apology, a retraction, and N50 billion in damages from Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), over an alleged defamatory statement made during a podcast interview.
The demand was contained in a letter issued by the law firm Neplus Ultra Attorneys and signed by Anderson U. Asemota, Peter O. Asimegbe, and Stanley C. Eziefulle on behalf of Arabambi.
According to the letter, the legal dispute arose from comments allegedly made by Obi during the interview, where he reportedly stated that Arabambi “does not have an address.”
Arabambi’s legal team described the statement as false, malicious, and defamatory, arguing that it portrayed their client as a faceless individual without legitimacy, credibility, or standing in public life.
The lawyers further claimed that the interview was widely circulated on television stations and digital platforms, exposing Arabambi to public ridicule and damaging his reputation.
“Our client has had a known residential and business address, maintains professional and political affiliations within Nigeria, and has never been a person whose whereabouts or identity were unknown,” the letter stated.
The legal team maintained that the alleged publication caused embarrassment and harmed Arabambi’s public image and political standing.
As part of their demands, the lawyers called for an unreserved public apology to be aired on national television, published on Obi’s verified social media platforms, and carried as full-page apologies in national newspapers.
They also demanded the payment of N50 billion as compensation for the alleged injury to Arabambi’s reputation, dignity, political standing, and public image.
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