Broadcasting
It is not All about Sanctions and Fines, Engage Stakeholders, FG to NBC
Federal government has charged the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to change the erroneous narrative that NBC was synonymous with sanctions and fines.
Mohammed Idris, minister of Information and National Orientation, stated as NBC, said it issued over 3,000 warnings to broadcast stations in 2022, sanctioned 125.
Idris, at a recent working visit to the commission, urged the NBC to engage stakeholders in its operations to check violations of the Broadcasting Code saying “I don’t believe that NBC is all about sanctions. Each time NBC is on the news is about a station committing one infraction or the other.
“But I think beyond that, we need to look from within. We need a lot of public enlightenment. On this, I think public communication in this regard is a bit low.
You need to up it so that people will understand further what the role of NBC is. This is because members of the public see NBC only when there is sanction.
I think it is better for the NBC to step up its public engagement for the public to understand that the commission is not all about sanctions but also about its capacity to help the industry grow and broadcasters to reach their potential.
I know that you are doing well, but you need to do much more in that regard. It is only when you do that, Nigerians will see you, not from that punitive side, but as partners in progress,” Mr Idris said.
He said the current moves to change the Act establishing the NBC at the National Assembly were commendable.
”When the commission was established, certain things were not taken into consideration, thus the need to change the Act,” the minister said.
Balarabe llelah, director-general of NBC, had said the commission has a total of 28 State Offices and 10 Zonal Offices with 419 staff members.
The commission, he said, is monitoring over 777 stations and “out of the number, 609 are radio stations and 168 are television stations.
During our monitoring activities, a total of 3,312 warnings were issued in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of 2022 and 2023. In 2022 a total of 125 stations were penalized.
In 2023, a total of 1,238 warnings were given, while during the same year, 62 stations were penalised.
“On Digital Switch Over, the Commission determines to work on simultaneous delivery of Nigeria to the life-changing experience of digital broadcasting using SIMULCRYPT.
“Against this background, NBC has facilitated the signing of agreement between ITS and NTA-Star Nigeria to actualizing this in the earliest possible time,” he said.
The NBC boss said the debt profile of broadcasters is over three billion naira.
According to him, that is why in May 2022, the commission published in the National Dailies, the list of licensees who were indebted to the commission.
Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) in Abuja has dismissed a class action suit filed by one Uche Diala and 961 other DStv and GOtv subscribers against MultiChoice Nigeria and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), citing lack of jurisdiction.
The suit challenged MultiChoice’s subscription price increases in November 2023 and May 2024, which the claimants described as arbitrary, exploitative, and unfair.
Diala and others sought to reverse the hikes and compel the company to adopt a more flexible billing model, such as a pay-as-you-view system used in other countries like South Africa.
They also accused MultiChoice of price discrimination against Nigerian consumers.
MultiChoice, through its counsel, raised a preliminary objection, arguing that pricing decisions do not fall within the tribunal’s remit and that the suit was improperly filed as a class action without first seeking the tribunal’s leave.
In its ruling on Thursday, the tribunal’s three-member panel led by Justice Thomas Okosun held that the core issues raised, which were pricing and tariff regulation, fall under the exclusive purview of the executive branch, particularly the President, as stipulated under the Price Control Act.
“The issue of price regulation is a matter that falls within the exclusive purview of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Okosun stated.
While the tribunal acknowledged it holds both original and appellate jurisdiction under the FCCPC Act, it emphasized that such authority does not cover general price control unless abuse of market dominance is established—a point the claimants failed to prove.
On the procedural matter of filing a class action without prior approval, the tribunal noted that although it is ideal to obtain leave, failure to do so was not fatal in this instance since the claimants demonstrated a shared grievance and common interest.
Nonetheless, the tribunal upheld MultiChoice’s objection, ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter.
“The preliminary objection of the first defendant succeeds,” the panel held. “This suit is accordingly struck out for want of jurisdiction.”
This ruling follows a similar outcome on May 8, when a Federal High Court in Abuja upheld MultiChoice’s price increases after the company sued the FCCPC.
In that judgment, Justice James Omotoso declared that the FCCPC lacked the authority to fix or suspend subscription rates.
MultiChoice Nigeria has slashed the price of its DStv decoder from N20,000 to N10,000, representing a 50 percent drop, in a aim at attracting attract more customers and curb declining subscriptions.
The campaign, titled “We’ve Got You,” was launched on June 16 and will continue until July 31.
Also, as part of its efforts to ease economic pressure on households and improve access to digital TV services, the campaign offers a free upgrade for both active and returning customers.
Speaking on the campaign, John Ugbe, chief executive officer (CEO) of MultiChoice Nigeria, said the initiative reflects the company’s commitment to rewarding loyalty and enhancing daily viewing experiences.
“We want to ensure our customers feel appreciated and have access to the best entertainment every day,” Ugbe said.
“The ‘We’veGot You’ campaign is about making premium content more accessible and showing that DStv offers something for everyone, not just football fans.
“By repositioning itself as a platform for daily value, DStv aims to encourage content discovery across a wider array of genres, including movies, drama, kids’ programming, and news.
“This means more channels, more shows, and more reasons to tune in every day.”
The development comes amid MultiChoice Nigeria’s legal battle with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over price hike.
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) will, on Oct. 7, arraigned the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qatar Airways, Mr Temi Birdzell, alongside the company and its top officers, over allegations bordering on breach of FCCPC Act, 2018.
The defendants will be arraigned before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Others to be arraigned with Birdzell are Stella Ihediwa, the Account Manager of the airline; Kennedy Chirchir, the Country Manager and Eva Ojeje, who is the Sales Manager of the company.
Although the arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday, the matter could not proceed.
Upon resumed hearing, none of the defendants was in court.
When the matter was called on Tuesday, none of the defendants was in court due to improper service of the court documents, including the hearing notice, on them.
FCCPC.’s lawyer, Chizenum Nsitem, told the court of their inability to serve four of the defendants, although the company was served.
Nsitem then sought an adjournment to enable them do the needful and the judge adjourned the matter until Oct. 7 for the defendants to take their plea.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commission, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/200/2025, dragged Qatar Airways, Birdzell, Ihediwa, Chirchir and Ojeje to court as 1st to 5th defendants respectively.
FCCPC, in the application dated May 26 but filed May 27, had preferred a two-count charge against the defendants.
The defendants were alleged to have failed to appear before FCCPC in compliance with a lawful summons of the commission dated Sept. 6, 2024, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33 (3) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (FCCPC) Act, 2018.
They were also accused to have on Sept. 18, 2024, intentionally withheld the production of documents in compliance wth a lawful summons of the commission, thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 111 of FCCP Act, 2018.
In count three, they were alleged to have on Sept. 18, 2024, engaged in the contravention of the consumer rights, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 124(1) and punishable under Section 155 of the same Act.
CCPT Dismisses Class Action Suit against MultiChoice over Tariff Hikes
Flutterwave Named in 2025 TIME100 Most Influential Companies List
GSK to Slash Cost of Malaria Jab to Less than $5
Households Earning ₦250,000 Or Less Monthly Won’t Pay Tax – Oyedele
Rack Centre Signs Collocation Deal with TelCables Nigeria
General News2 days agoOpenAI Unveils New AI Agent for Software Developers
Telecom2 days ago15 African Startups Using AI Selected for Google Accelerator Cohort 9
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Receives UN Women Award for Empowering Women Nationwide
Telecom2 days agoUS Bans Use of WhatsApp on Official Devices over Security Concerns
E-Financial1 day agoFidelity Bank Clears the Air: MD Not Linked to Woobs Case
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Launches “Mega Billion Promo” to Reward Customer Loyalty and Drive Financial Inclusion
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Donates Medical, Digital Equipment to Lagos Primary Healthcare Centre
General News1 day agoSEC Advocates for Advanced Financial Inclusion by 2030