The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) says it is being owed about N4. 3 billion in licensing fees by broadcasting stations.
Director-General of the Commission, Mr. Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, said debtor stations would be shut down if they did not come up with a payment plan before September 15.
Mr. Modibbo spoke after a meeting with the stakeholders in the broadcasting industry.
According to him, the stations had reneged on an agreement reached in February 2017, by both parties on how to recover the debt.
He said, however, that the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and NBC would be meeting as part of efforts to find ways of recovering the debt even as he chose not to mention the stations owing due to “the relationship between the parties.”
Mr. Modibbo spoke further: “There will be a consultative meeting between BON and NBC.
“Stations must try to regularise or work on a payment plan. The truth of the matter is if there is nothing definite done by trying to pay the money owed NBC we are going to close down quite a number of radio and television stations especially because we know that a lot of them are targeting elections and the money they will make.
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“We will make it impossible for them to make that money because if they do not pay their licensing fees, then they have no right to enjoy any freebies from elections.”
The DG also spoke on the issue of sanctions on various broadcasting stations saying that broadcasting ethics stresses that the peace and unity of the country should be paramount.
According to him, in a situation where the ethical boundaries have been breached at various times by a broadcasting station, such a station would be sanctioned or shut down as the case may be.
He also pointed out that the commission did not ban songs, but noted that certain songs could not be broadcast because of their content.
He said songs that should be broadcast in Nigeria were songs that families could listen to together.
According to him, young artists influence Nigerian children and as such they should be mindful of the songs they air.
“Young people are the greatest export of our country in terms of their artistic work and our country is a country of young people,” he said.
