The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has imposed a fine of N2 million on Arise News for violating the Nigeria Broadcasting Code by airing fake news about the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu over a controversial $460,00 forfeiture judgment. The statement was contained in a letter which was signed by the Director-General of the Commission stating that the station committed the infraction, despite its recent sensitization program for the broadcasters. The station was fined, following a protest letter to NBC by the Special Adviser, Media, Communications and Public Affairs, APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Mr. Dele Alake.
The petition reads in part: “The U.S. Justice Department, in a letter dated February 4, 2003, issued by the Lagos Consulate of the United States Embassy, cleared our candidate. “The letter was signed by Michael Bonner, the Consulate’s legal attaché.
“The campaign council was, therefore, surprised that certain media houses, such as Arise News and Channels TV, among others, went ahead to transmit and broadcast issues purportedly indicating our candidate, in violation of Section 3,3 I of the Code, which says:
“The broadcaster shall (a) ensure that any information is given in a program in whatever form is accurate. “We believe that the operators of the stations, by their professional standing, should have access to research platforms to verify the information before dishing it to the public.”
It adds: “These breaches attract a sanction of Class B, and we implore NBC to invoke the aforementioned sections to penalize Arise TV and Channels TV for breach of the Broadcast Code.
Our presidential candidate was vilified and denigrated as an indicted offender and lawbreaker in the U.S. court case. “We, hereby, request the NBC to sanction the offending stations in the name of justice and in the protection of the rights of our candidate, as well as avoidance of future reoccurrence.”
Although the station has retracted the statement and apologized to Tinubu, Mr. Alake had faulted Arise stating that apologies do not sound genuine and would not heal the injury inflicted on his presidential candidate.
