The Nigeria Broadcasting Commission Thursday night claimed the management of Daar Communications Plc’s AIT/Raypower stations had been warned several times about breaches of broadcasting regulations but did not flinch.
“The NBC has over the last 2 years summoned on several occasions management of the company to address issues regarding the operations of AIT/Raypower with the company, particularly, Political Platform and Kakaaki aired on AIT,” NBC said in a statement.
The commission said its recent monitoring reports on AIT/Raypower indicate the “use of divisive comments accredited to the segment of “Kakaaki”, tagged, “Kakaaki Social”, where inciting comments like, “Nigeria is cursed, we declare independent state of Niger Delta”, “Nigeria irritates me”, “this country is gradually Islamizing” and other similar slogans are used without editorial control in breach of the broadcast Code.”
“We were, therefore, constrained to issue Daar Communication letters of warning dated May 27th, 2019,” NBC said.
The NBC said it again monitored a documentary on the Presidential Election Tribunal on AIT on Wednesday and Thursday, 22nd and 23rd May, 2019 which was done without regard to the Broadcast Code.
The NBC, which regulates radio and television stations, said AIT/Raypower again on Thursday used “inflammatory, divisive, inciting broadcasts, and media propaganda against the government and, the NBC”, hence the suspension.
The AIT and Ray Power FM, both owned by Raymond Dokpesi’s has strongly denied all allegations of wrongdoing, saying the Buhari administration was out to victimise them over of their perceived allegiance to the opposition.