The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has just shut down or withdrawn the license of DAAR Communications, owners of Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower FM.

AIT and Raypower FM are among Nigeria’s first privately owned television and radio stations respectively. 

DAAR Communications is owned by Chief Raymond Dokpesi. 

Dokpesi’s media empire has a physical presence in Lagos and Abuja with a digital presence across Nigeria and the African continent. 

For purposes of this short essay, DAAR Communications and AIT/Raypower would be used interchangeably to mean the same thing.

Let’s try to answer some of the questions you’ve been asking on this subject.

What reasons did the NBC give?

The NBC says it carried out the action because AIT blatantly incited, promoted bigoted content generated from social media and overheated the polity.

The NBC’s grouse against AIT or DAAR Communications can be summarized with the following bullet points:

1..NBC says AIT/Raypower propagated inciting comments, divisive rhetoric and hate speech through its Political Platform and Kakaaki programs. 

2..According to the NBC, hateful and inciting posts were often lifted from social media for use on the programs with no attempt whatsoever to edit them. “The Commission was disturbed with the manner in which social media issues became part of the mainstream media, unedited on AIT/Raypower, and was constrained to issue a generic letter to all broadcast stations on the need to exercise caution in the use of user generated content from the social media knowing how volatile and misleading the social media has become,” NBC says. 

3..NBC says it was worried because DAAR Communications couldn’t even keep a secret. According to the regulator, official correspondence between NBC and DAAR soon found their way to social media. “The management of Daar Communication Plc thereafter took to the social media to display our official correspondences”, NBC lamented.

4..Some of the comments NBC described as hateful and inciting were: “Nigeria is cursed, we declare independent state of Niger Delta”, “Nigeria irritates me”, “this country is gradually Islamizing” etc.

5..NBC says the comments were lifted from social media and were used on a segment of “Kakaaki” called “Kakaaki Social”. 

Mr. Ohimai Godwin Amaize is the ‘Kakaaki Social’ presenter or anchor person. 

6..AIT was also accused of airing a documentary on the Presidential Election Tribunal, even though judgment is yet to be delivered on the case.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP is contesting the results of the February 23, 2019 election in court. Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC was declared winner of the election.

Here’s how the NBC puts it: “We also observed from monitoring reports that a documentary on the Presidential Election Tribunal, a pending election petition matter aired on AIT on Wednesday and Thursday, 22nd and 23rd May, 2019 without regard to the provisions of the Broadcast Code. The Commission, in line with its regulatory powers again cautioned AIT in another letter also dated 27th May, 2019”.

7..NBC says DAAR Communications has been acting as though it is above the law.

8..NBC says DAAR Communications has refused to pays its annual license fees. “They don’t pay their license fees as and when due”, NBC lamented.

9..DAAR Communications has become a bad example for other media or professional outfits, in NBC’s words: “Its broadcast is patently partisan and one sided and deliberately inciting and heating the polity. The management of the company has created the habit of using the channel to fight its personal battles contrary to the statutory requirements of the law”.

10..DAAR was also accused of resorting “to the use of media propaganda against the regulator… needless to state that DAAR Communications have over the years turned themselves into a bad example of how a professional broadcast outfit should not be run”.

11..NBC says DAAR Communications was warned severally about its conduct but refused to listen. “The NBC have 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, in one of our meetings, held on 2nd June, 2017, the Commission expressed its disappointment with the way and manner Hate Speech, divisive and inciting comments are applied in discussion of national issues in breach of the provisions of the NBC Act and Broadcast Code.

“Again, on 15th August, 2017, it became imperative to invite the company for yet another meeting on almost same issues. Furthermore, while addressing another meeting on 7th February, 2018 we highlighted issues of concern to the Commission which indicated that the company had been breaching the provisions of Sections 3.1.2 and 3.1.3 of the broadcast Code. The company’s delegates in their response promised to abate the breaches and comply with the law.

“However, on October 18, 2018, the Commission was disturbed with the manner in which social media issues became part of the mainstream media unedited on AIT/Raypower, and was constrained to issue a generic letter to all broadcast stations”, the NBC said. 

What has been the reaction from Nigerians? 

Well, most social media commenters and political figures have labelled the shutdown of AIT/Raypower an attack on press freedom by the President Buhari administration.

Former Presidential candidate and co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili says “there is nothing in that letter from NBC to AIT that reaches the threshold for withdrawal of license and shut down of a media house that we all know government perceives as an “Opposition media. Wisdom should have actually instructed the FG against striking out at them.

“See, we all just need to defend this Democracy for whatever it is worth. Those that often pander to one Party or the other should, stop that!”

PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar says: “I am a lifelong democrat and throughout my political life, I have championed the principles of Separation of Powers. The Legislature has been challenged. The Judiciary has been tackled. If, at this time, we stand by as the Press loses its independence, there will be little to differentiate us from a dictatorship. This should not happen.”

Abubakar’s running mate in the elections, Peter Obi says “the suspension of the licenses of AIT and Ray Power stand condemned. It is an affront on the freedom of the press, and of speech as enshrined in our constitution. It is a throwback to the years of military dictatorship”.

What’s the back story to all of this?

DAAR Communications and the APC led Buhari administration have some not-too-pleasant history between them.

In the run up to the 2015 elections, AIT aired documentaries that portrayed then candidate Buhari and APC godfather Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in bad, deprecating light.

One of the documentaries was termed excessively negative because it all but labeled Buhari a violent extremist who was going to Islamize Nigeria if he was elected president.

DAAR Communications owner, Dokpesi, is also a card carrying member of the opposition PDP and a chieftain of the party.

It has been alleged that he has turned AIT and Raypower into propaganda outlets of his political party. These allegations remain largely unproven, however, and are at best anecdotal.

Dokpesi is still being investigated by the state for allegedly benefiting from the Dasuki $2.1billion arms diversion funds of 2015. 

This week, Dokpesi staged a one man protest at the national assembly over the plight of AIT/Raypower.

Pulse just learnt that a court has ordered NBC to reverse its suspension with immediate effect.

What are your thoughts on this story?