The letter from the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to Channels TV over Governor Ortom’s interview has finally emerged.

Topnaija reports that the Buhari government had issued a directive to the NBC to sanction Channels TV for airing the two “unpleasant” interviews.

Meanwhile two Channels Television broadcasters Chamberlain Usor and Kayode Okikiolu have been reportedly summoned by the National Broadcasting Commission.

Read letter below:

The National Broadcasting Commission monitored the broadcast of your programme Sunrise Daily between 7am and 9am on Tuesday August 24, 2021.

The programme which had as guest the Executive Governor of Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom was observed to contain inciting, divisive and unfair comments which were not thoroughly interrogated by the anchors. These negate the following provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code;

Section 1.10.4: “The Broadcaster shall ensure that its Presenter…..shall handle it with professionalism and sound judgment to ensure that it does not loose focus or lead to unfair treatment or institution”

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Section 3.1.1: “No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference or organization alive or dead…”

Section 3.3.1(b): “the broadcaster shall ensure that all sides to any issue of public interest are equitably presented for fairness and balance”

Section 3.3.1(e): “the broadcaster shall not treat any individual or organization in an unjust or unfair manner”

Section 3.11.1(a): “the broadcaster shall ensure that language….likely to encourage or incite to crime or lead to disorder is not broadcast”.

Section 3.12.2: “the broadcaster shall not transmit a program that incites or likely to incite to violence among the populace, causing mass panic, political and social upheaval, security breach and general social disorder”

Consequently, Channels Television is required to explain why appropriate sanctions should not be applied for these infractions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Your response should reach the Commission within 24 hours of receipt of this letter.

Recall that Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu had criticised Governor Ortom for his comments on the purported agenda to ‘fulanise’ the country.

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“All of the falsehoods he (Ortom) spreads, perhaps speak to his own character rather than that of the President,” he said. “The President’s wish is that open grazing should end, nobody wants it.” He said.