Fulani radio to educate herdsmen, fishermen, farmers, hunters — NBC

The National Broadcasting Commission has said the proposed
Fulani radio station will broadcast “purely educational,”
programmes designed to cater for the interest of itinerant
fishermen, herders, hunters and farmers.

It also called on all broadcasting stations to exercise
restraint in the treatment of sensitive issues that could threaten
the unity and stability of Nigeria.

The commission, in response to criticism of the planned radio
station by Federal Government to reach Fulani herdsmen, urged
broadcasting stations to be professional and take guidance from the
Nigeria Broadcasting Code, at all times.

The NBC, in a statement on Saturday, reminded all broadcasters
to be mindful of their social responsibility to promote the
well-being and peaceful co-existence of the various groups in
Nigeria in keeping with the objectives of broadcasting in
Nigeria.

It stated, “The commission is reacting to the media controversy
over the license granted to the National Commission for Nomadic
Education for the establishment of a radio station to operate on
the AM band.

“The National Commission for Nomadic Education duly applied for
broadcast license in furtherance of its objectives to develop and
maintain nomadic education outreach programmes, including
electronically mediated ones.

“The letter of provisional approval dated September 28, 2018,
was issued to the National Commission for Nomadic Education. The
duration of the license is from October 8, 2018 to October 8,
2023.”

The NBC noted that the station’s programmes, which it describes
as “purely educational,” were designed to cater for the interest of
migrant fishermen, herders, hunters, farmers, and migrants.

It added, “Consequently, it is a misrepresentation for any
person or organisation to imply that the licensed station was just
for a particular group.

“The commission wishes to state that similar educational
broadcast licences were issued to institutions of higher learning
and other governmental institutions with comparable needs, such as
the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the Federal Road safety Commission,
and related institutions.

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