Broadcasting
Osinbajo to Attend The Guardian Book Launch
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has accepted the invitation to attend the launch of the epochal book on The Guardian.
The event, billed to hold in Lagos on April 7, 2021, will also be attended by many top media icons, politicians across the political divide, captains of industry and other high profile Nigerians.
Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on media, to the Vice President, Pastor Laolu Akande, a former star correspondent at The Guardian, has confirmed that professor Osinbajo has scheduled the event as one of those to attend in the second quarter of the Year.
The authors, Aaron Ukodie and O’seun Ogunseitan had sent an invitation to the Vice President at the close of last year to attend the event as Special Guest of Honour and to deliver a keynote address.
Several governors, among them Governor Kayode Fayemi, Chairman Governors Forum, who also had a stint at The Guardian, have also been invited as special guests to attend the event.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State where The Guardian was founded in 1983, flourished and became iconic within its first five years, is expected to be the Chief Host.
Gov Sanwo-olu will be supported by Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor if Delta State, the ancestral origin of the equally iconic Mr. Alex Uruemu Ibru, the proprietor of The Guardian who died on November 20, 2011.
Mr Alex Ibru, who will be posthumously honoured at the event for his sterling entrepreneurship and proprietorship, will be represented by his wife Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, who is now the publisher of The Guardian who’s management has also endorsed the epochal publication.
The late Publisher Alex Ibru gathered a selected handful of the best hands in Nigerian journalism practice back then, mixed them with a sprinkle of the best of the academics in the arts, philosophy and even the sciences, to found The Guardian.
The newspaper attracted the late iconic writer Dr. Stanley Macebuh and outstanding authors, media men and teachers like the inimitable Lade Bonuola, Professors Onwuchekwa Jemie, Femi Osofisan and Dr Ibekwe Chinweizu.
The Guardian also had the likes of Harvard University teacher Herbert Ekwue-Ekwue and Oxford-trained economist Dr. Ashikwe-Egom, who called himself the motor park economist and then advert guru and now Professor, Jide Oluwajuyitan.
The Guardian also had emeritus Professors Godwin Sogolo and Emebvo Baikolo apart from hordes of Ph.D holders Edwin Madunagwu, Yemi Ogunbiyi, Patrick Dele Cole and Tunji Dare who converged, at The Guardian then, to make the newspaper the Flagship of Nigerian journalism.
The Guardian Book is expected, by many, to be the historic book of the year, also because of the number of professors and top media men that have contributed to its making.
Contributors to the book include all the founding stars of The Guardian and others including media industry icons such as Mr Femi Kusa, top media manager and SMEs advocate, Ted Iwere, renown NTA-anchor Kingsley Osadolor, senator Ayogu Eze, Mr Onuoha Ukeh, Managing Director of Sun Newspapers and Thisday editorial board chairman, Segun Adeniyi, have alsob contributed to the making of the book.
Limited customised copies of the book are still available for preorder at www.theguadianera.com.
Metro Digital Limited, a licenced Indigenous broadcasting organisation, has accused Multichoice, pay television company, of refusing to obey judgements emanating from Courts in Nigeria.
It said the latest of such judgements is the one that was delivered by Justice Chinelo Odili of Rivers State High Court on May 4, 2026 in Suit No. PHC/3943/FHR/2025.
Dr. Paul Osuji, operations manager of Metro Digital, at a press conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,
said the suit was filed by the organisation and two others against Multichoice and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Osuji stated that Justice Odili has in the judgement described the arrest of a staff member of the company and the carting away of it’s properties and disruption of it’s broadcasting business by the EFCC over a civil dispute of copyrighy as unlawful and violations of the applicants’ rights.
The manager recalled that in October 2025, Multichoice instigated the EFCC to read their office in Port Harcourt, arrested a staff of the company and staff of another company, while the suit was still pending.
“On October 16, 2025, the premises of Metro Digital Limited, a licenced indigenous broadcasting organisation was raided by the Nigerian anti-graft agency, EFCC, instigated by Multichoice Nigeria, purportedly acting on a preservation order made by the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt over the sub licensing of broadcasting content right.
“The preservation order came from a civil dispute already adjudicated by the Court of Appeal No. CA/CS/188/2021 – Multichoice Vs Metro Digital Limited and 20 others, which is a subject of a pending appeal -No. SC/CV/1248/2022 -Multichoice and 20 others before the Supreme Court.
“Instructively, while suit No. PHC/ 3943/ FHR/2025 was still pending, Metro Digital Limited filed an application to set aside the said preservation orders of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Hon. Justice A.T Mohammed.
“In his ruling delivered on December 10, 2025, set aside the preservation orders and it’s legal execution on Metro Digital Limited. The court also ordered EFCC to return unconditionally all the properties and records of Metro Digital Limited, illegally and unlawfully carted away during the raid but the agency has till today not obeyed those orders of the Court,” he said.
Metro Digital Limited is known for operating SLTV, a direct-to-home satellite television service launched to provide affordable, locally-owned alternatives to international pay TV
A Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) from sanctioning or punishing broadcast stations and presenters over the expression of personal opinions, alleged bullying of guests, or failure to maintain neutrality on air.
NBC
Justice Daniel Osiagor granted the interim injunction following an ex parte application filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
The court specifically restrained the NBC, its officers, agents and affiliated persons from enforcing its recently issued “Formal Notice” or imposing sanctions, fines or penalties on broadcasters based on provisions of the 6th Edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
SERAP and NGE had approached the court to challenge what they described as an arbitrary and unlawful move by the commission to punish broadcasters for allegedly expressing personal opinions as facts, bullying or intimidating guests, or failing to maintain neutrality during programmes.
The groups also asked the court to determine whether the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code relied upon by NBC were inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
The suit followed an April statement by the NBC in which it raised concerns over what it described as increasing violations of the broadcasting code across news, current affairs and political programmes.
The commission had warned that presenters who expressed personal opinions as facts or bullied guests during live broadcasts would be sanctioned.
However, Justice Osiagor, in his ruling, held that pending the hearing of the substantive matter, the commission must refrain from using the formal notice to threaten, sanction or punish broadcast organisations and on-air personalities under the contested code provisions.
The matter was adjourned until June 1, 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Metro Digital Limited before a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt over alleged cybercrime and unlawful interception and rebroadcast of content belonging to Multichoice Nigeria.
Metro Digital
The company was arraigned before Justice A.T. Mohammed on an amended four-count charge bordering on cybercrime-related offences and alleged illegal rebroadcast of protected broadcast content.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the prosecution counsel, Steve E. Odiase, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for arraignment.
However, defence counsel, S.A. Somairi (SAN), reportedly attempted to halt the proceedings by drawing the court’s attention to a pending preliminary objection.
The judge, however, declined the request and ordered that the plea be taken in line with Section 478 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, which allows a corporation to enter a plea in writing through its representative.
One of the charges alleged that Metro Digital Limited, alongside its Managing Director, Ifeanyi John Nwafor, and a staff member, Ikenna Kanu, both said to be at large, conspired between 2015 and 2019 to unlawfully intercept and rebroadcast protected broadcast signals in Port Harcourt, Rivers.
Another charge alleged that the defendants intentionally and without authorisation intercepted and rebroadcast broadcast signals and devices, including tiger boxes and dongles, over which Multichoice Nigeria holds exclusive rights in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The anti-graft agency said investigations into the matter began in 2019 after Multichoice petitioned the commission, alleging that the illegal rebroadcast of its content caused significant financial losses.
Metro Digital Limited, through its representative, pleaded not guilty to all four charges.
Following the plea, prosecution counsel prayed the court to fix a date for trial.
Justice Mohammed subsequently adjourned the case until June 29 and June 30, 2026, for continuation of trial.
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