Prof. Anthony Kila, the Director, Center for International Advanced Professional Studies (CIAPS), Lagos, has described the decision of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to revoke the operations licenses of major media outlets in the country as a sad development.
Speaking on Saturday, Prof. Kila said that the decision “is an index of how bad things are in the country.”
He pleaded that the media regulators should, however, consider revoking of licenses as a very last and dramatic option.
“As an arm of government, regulators should be conscious of their actions. It is easy to at least suspect if not imagine that this action is aimed at gagging independent media.
“Ideally, regulators should do all they can to avoid such speculations,” he said.
Prof. Kila advised that “The government also needs to go beyond implementing laws, the government has to take into account the consequences of its actions on the lives of staff of these affected organisations, as well as their families. “These are all citizens and they are the major stakeholders of the Nigerian project.”
According to him, “A government that cares and feels accountable to its citizens should feel obliged to identify and explore many readily available options before pushing the last and dramatic button.
“Outstanding fees can be negotiated, agreements can reached. Accounts can be frozen.
“This is a time to grow companies not impede their operations.”
While encouraging media operators to pay their dues, the CIAPS director added: “It should be a fixed cost in their planning.”
