54 broadcast stations in trouble, lose licenses

No less than 54 broadcast stations have had their licenses revoked after refusing to pay mandatory fees within the 60-day window permitted under the law by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission.

That much information was communicated by the Director General of the NBC, Mr. Ishaq Modibbo who also noted that similar treatment will be meted out to other broadcast stations that refuse to pay the mandatory fee.

Speaking at a press conference, Modibbo also issued a deadline warning all stations that owed the commission over N5bn till the end of March 2017 to pay up their licence fees or they’ll have their stations’ licences revoked as well.

He said, “Over the past two weeks, I gave directive that the licences of 54 companies that were issued licences but had refused to pay their fees within the mandatory 60-day window, be revoked.

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“Those licences are revoked. There is another list of over 120 licences that were paid within the mandatory period but were unable to come on air, within the mandatory two years; they are also being processed for revocation. And they will be revoked.
Frequencies cannot be held indefinitely by individuals.” He said.

Continuing, he added that; “At our stakeholders’ conference with broadcast organisations, I had informed station owners of a persistent pattern of refusal to pay licence fees.

“Stations around Nigeria owe the NBC over N5bn. Even the statutory act of informing the NBC, six months before expiration of licences of intention to continue as licensee is wilfully ignored by stations.

“Licence fees are in arrears; there is no plan by many of these stations to pay; while some even have the temerity to write the NBC, the regulatory institution, that the amount they are obliged to pay is too much, consequently, they then tell us how much they are willing to pay, and even adding the time they are going to pay such sums that they have decided to pay.”

Modibbo also noted that henceforth, the commission will issue stricter guidelines for the issuance of television and radio licences to prospective owners in the future to further regulate the industry.

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