Former Director-General of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Mr. Tonnie Iredia, has said that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as a politician cannot regulate broadcasting.
According to Iredia, Mohammed is usurping the powers of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Speaking during a live television programme yesterday, the former NTA DG faulted Mohammed’s involvement in the amendment of the Code of the NBC on Tuesday.
The controversial code, which increased fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5 million, is facing nationwide opposition.
Iredia, who is a professor of broadcast management and media law, said the minister has hijacked the duties of the director-general of the NBC.
He said: “Everybody expects a broadcasting commission to be an autonomous body that has no place in politics. If you listen to the news, who has been speaking? The minister of Information! Is he the director-general of the NBC?
“When the minister is speaking, there is no way broadcasters can see that the regulator is speaking. He is not a regulator.
“He should leave the broadcasters in the NBC to do their professional duty. The law gives him the right to supervise but not to take over the job.
He added that the NBC code, which was supposed to be a professional guide and masterpiece that promotes professional excellence in broadcasting is now “filled with sanctions and what you will do and not do.”
