5TH ANNUAL LECTURE OF THE "NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMMISSION(NBC)

OPENING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMMISSION (NBC), ALHAJI IKRA ALIYU BILBIS, AT THE COMMISSION’S 5TH ANNUAL LECTURE, CONFERENCE HALL, TRANSCORP HILTON HOTEL, ABUJA, ON AUGUST 27TH, 2019

PROTOCOLS:
On behalf of the Board, Management, and Staff of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), I will like to welcome you, our esteem guests, leaders from all walks of life in Nigeria; Professional Broadcasters, Security experts, students, and all stakeholders, who over the past 27 years have contributed to the progress of the Nigeria Broadcast eco-system, to this event this morning.

As you are all aware, the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, was established on the 24th of August, 1992; some twenty-seven years ago. Its primary mandate was to initiate and promote private ownership of broadcasting in Nigeria; after close to sixty years of government sole ownership of the industry. In addition, was the charge for the NBC to develop and regulate the industry at every level.

In line with its regulatory function, the NBC since 1993 has in collaboration with stakeholders produced a Code for the practice of broadcasting in Nigeria. The document which is reviewed regularly to match the dynamic nature of the industry contains the ground-rules for Nigerian broadcasting. It also enumerates engineering and safety standards, as well as penalties for violations in line with universal best practices. As broadcasters themselves and other industry watchers would testify, the enforcement of the Code has substantially sanitized the industry by eliminating arbitrariness in the operations of the electronic media.

The 5th edition of the Code was recently launched in Kano and made available to the industry.

There are a number of initiatives that the Commission is focusing on in order to bring broadcasting in Nigeria at par with the rest of the world.

We plan to build a befitting structure to house the Commission’s headquarter here in Abuja. This structure will be fitted with state-of-the-art monitoring facilities to enable a proper monitoring of the broadcast airwaves in the Country.

The core fundamentals of Democracy are equality, common participation, and access to information for all citizens. As we all gather today, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we must again ponder at the power of the Broadcast media which can affect people’s thinking and behaviour for good or evil. Such a medium with monumental influence on society cannot be unregulated.

The theme for this lecture, “Contemporary Challenges of the Nigerian State: Need for constructive Broadcasting” is quite apt, considering the fundamental issues that the Nigerian state is facing and the place of the broadcasting media in helping to address them.

As you deliberate on these issues today, let us consider the positives of the broadcast media and endeavour to use it for the interest and progress of our dear country.

I must not fail to state that, in all this years of existence, the NBC has enjoyed complete independence from both the Executive and National Assembly. We have also received support from these arms of Government. We are looking forward to the future.

Join hands with us to move this industry forward.

Happy Anniversary Lecture.

Thank you very much for your attention!

4:22 AM