The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has asked all social
media platforms and online broadcasting service providers operating
in Nigeria to apply for broadcast licence.
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
![image](/2021/05/lawp.jpg")
Armstrong Idachaba, the NBC director-general, gave the directive
in a newspaper advertorial published on Thursday.
![image](/2021/05/NBASBL2021.jpg")
This follows the federal government’s announcement that Twitter
and other social media platforms must register as a Nigerian
company for them “to do business in Nigeria.”
It re-echoes concerns raised by allegations that the Buhari
administration is clamping down on free speech and internet freedom
— the government denies this.
Idachaba said in the advertorial that the NBC establishment code
empowers the commission to ask the companies to be licensed.
Section two (b) of the NBC act of 2004 states: “(1) The
Commission shall have [the] responsibility of: Receiving,
processing and considering applications for the establishment,
ownership or operation of radio and television stations including
(i) cable television services, direct satellite broadcast and any
other medium of broadcasting.”
The advertorial reads: “The National Broadcasting Commission
(NBC) hereby directs every Online Broadcast Service provider and
Social Media Platforms operating within the Nigerian State to apply
and obtain broadcast licence for their service(s).
“Note that any Online Broadcast Service Provider that fails to
obtain a licence will be considered an illegal entity.”
It is not immediately clear whether the directive applies
strictly to only broadcast organisations or not.
Although no direction has been drawn, the government moved to
license social media companies after Twitter took down a tweet by
President Muhammadu Buhari, after stating that the message violates
its policy.
In the tweet, the president had threatened to treat Nigerians
“misbehaving” in “the language they understand”.
Two days after the incident, the federal government suspended
Twitter in Nigeria and directed NBC to “immediately commence the
process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in
Nigeria”.
The NBC also directed broadcast stations to stop using Twitter,
saying it “will be unpatriotic for any broadcaster in Nigeria to
continue to patronise” the microblogging site.
The action heightens concerns about press freedom which were
raised after the commission reviewed its code to, among other
things, increase the fine for “hate speech” from N500,000 to N5
million.
A number of media houses have been sanctioned in line with the
code which many Nigerians and groups said targets press freedom and
critics of the Buhari administration
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has asked all social
media platforms and online broadcasting service providers operating
in Nigeria to apply for broadcast licence.
Armstrong Idachaba, the NBC director-general, gave the directive
in a newspaper advertorial published on Thursday.
This follows the federal government’s announcement that Twitter
and other social media platforms must register as a Nigerian
company for them “to do business in Nigeria.”
It re-echoes concerns raised by allegations that the Buhari
administration is clamping down on free speech and internet freedom
— the government denies this.
Idachaba said in the advertorial that the NBC establishment code
empowers the commission to ask the companies to be licensed.
Section two (b) of the NBC act of 2004 states: “(1) The
Commission shall have [the] responsibility of: Receiving,
processing and considering applications for the establishment,
ownership or operation of radio and television stations including
(i) cable television services, direct satellite broadcast and any
other medium of broadcasting.”
The advertorial reads: “The National Broadcasting Commission
(NBC) hereby directs every Online Broadcast Service provider and
Social Media Platforms operating within the Nigerian State to apply
and obtain broadcast licence for their service(s).
“Note that any Online Broadcast Service Provider that fails to
obtain a licence will be considered an illegal entity.”
It is not immediately clear whether the directive applies
strictly to only broadcast organisations or not.
Although no direction has been drawn, the government moved to
license social media companies after Twitter took down a tweet by
President Muhammadu Buhari, after stating that the message violates
its policy.
In the tweet, the president had threatened to treat Nigerians
“misbehaving” in “the language they understand”.
Two days after the incident, the federal government suspended
Twitter in Nigeria and directed NBC to “immediately commence the
process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in
Nigeria”.
The NBC also directed broadcast stations to stop using Twitter,
saying it “will be unpatriotic for any broadcaster in Nigeria to
continue to patronise” the microblogging site.
The action heightens concerns about press freedom which were
raised after the commission reviewed its code to, among other
things, increase the fine for “hate speech” from N500,000 to N5
million.
A number of media houses have been sanctioned in line with the
code which many Nigerians and groups said targets press freedom and
critics of the Buhari administration