NBC issues ‘final warning’ to ARISE TV over use of derogatory remarks; “Using regulations to silence independent journalism is completely unacceptable” _ Amnesty international

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has served ARISE Television a final warning over the permission of derogatory and incendiary remarks on its station.

Nigerian Lawyer and Human Rights Advocate, Dele Farotimi made the unsavory remarks against the Nigerian judiciary and the person of President Bola Tinubu while appearing on an Arsie TV programme The Morning Show on Thursday, October 5, 2023.

The commission’s warning was contained in a letter by its Director General, Dr Balarabe Shehu Ilelah and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Arise Global Media Limited, on Friday, October 6, 2023.

In the letter titled, Preponderance of derogatory and incendiary remarks: final warning, NBC flagged the station’s flagship programme, The Morning Show of October 5, 2023, as containing unguarded incendiary remarks by a guest, Dele Farotimi.

The unsavory comment of Dele Farotimi against the Nigerian judiciary and the person of President Bola Tinubu trended on social media on Thursday.

And doubling down, NBC also faulted Arise Television for failing to edit the derogatory remarks of Kenneth Okonkwo, a Labour Party spokesperson aired on another of its programme Newsday.

The commission, therefore, advised Arise Television to install a delayed mechanism to guard against undesirable content on its platform.

The letter read in part, “The NBC has observed with concern preponderance of incendiary remarks allowed on Arise news.

“This letter seeks to underscore the tremendous responsibility put on the broadcaster to manage the array of guest that may feature on the station from time to time.

“The commission listed the station’s morning show programme on 5th October anchored by Reuben Abati, Rufai Oseni and Ayo Maio-Ese, which featured Oladokun Hassan and Dele Farotimi as guests. The programme contained unguarded incendiary remarks by Dele Farotimi against the Legislature and the Executive, the Judiciary and Mr. President.

“The station was also accused of not keeping to its responsibility while airing its programme ‘Newsday’ which featured Kenneth Okonkwo, (spokesperson of Labour Party) who used derogatory remarks on air.

“The commission therefore drew the attention of the broadcast station to broadcast rule and code 1.10.3, 3.3.1(a), 3.3.3(c), 3.3.1 (e), 5.3.3(b) and 5.5.6.

“Arise TV is advised to install a delay mechanism to guard against undesirable contents as prescribe in section 5.5.6 of the broadcasting code.”

Farotimi while responding to questions on the talk show programme, The Morning Show on ARISE television Thursday about CSU Tinubu certificate saids, “I am of the firm opinion that it is not a Nigerian thing to forge documents. Regardless of what the CSU registrar might have to say on the subject, it is not a Nigerian thing. The CSU was unambiguous in making clear that the diploma submitted to INEC does not emanate from it, that I think is about the only thing of legal consequence that concerns me as far as I am concerned, but when you now look to the broader issue of honesty, integrity, the image of the country, it doesn’t look good.”

Responding to a Monday statement by the minister of foreign affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Farotimi said, “He was correct to decree the forgery by Mr. Tinubu as frivolous. When you consider all the other things that are confronting Nigeria, it is particularly trivial to contemplate that the president ‘of the most populous black country in the world’ actually forged his certificate.

“Now, to move beyond that, because it is very easy to try and run away from the trivialities that the Tinubu administration has more or less forced on us, but when you dig deeper in the body of the same deposition, you begin to address the fact again that there are so many lies under guarding even the forged certificate itself, too many questions waiting to be answered, people might begin to talk about how evidence does not count again at this point, but again, it’s not like evidence has ever mattered in our space because even the judiciary have found ways to make what matters not matter any longer.

The Human Rights Advocate then said that he does not subscribe to the idea of someone being given the title of Omoluabi simply because they are Yoruba, saying, “An Omoluabi comes with qualifications, it comes with qualification of integrity, of honesty, of pedigree, of history, that is why we have Oriki in Yoruba land, a person will be praised to his progeny…. And then the person must earn the tag of the Omoluabi, he must act with integrity, he must deal equitably with other people, he must be fair in his dealings with people.

“To now appropriate Omoluabi to everybody who answers the name of a Yoruba person even when the person has not acted in a manner that is suggestive of the person having the quality that will make the person answer to the name of Omoluabi, I reject that in its entirety. I am an Omoluabi, I am a Yoruba man, and I have not forged my certificate. So, it is not a Nigerian thing, and it is certainly not a Yoruba thing, and it is not an Omoluabi thing to do that.”

Concerning the controversy that had come up in the Nigerian space from the pronouncement of the CSU registrar, and if the Nigerian judiciary will do anything with this information, the lawyer said, “Facts don’t matter in Nigeria any longer, that’s the truth. It’s gotten to the point where alternative facts have taken over the space, and truth itself has become completely subjective and transactional. The depositions are clear, and they are not ambiguous. The person representing CSU was unequivocal in declaring that the certificate submitted to INEC by the man known as Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not emanate from them. That is a matter that should be conclusively dealt with and forgotten about. Whether the Nigerian courts will find out a sufficient basis to do the needful, that is another argument that we can have at another time, but that we are still arguing about what has been conclusively proven in the deposition speaks a lot to the kind of country that we have become.”

Speaking further, he said, “Now, whether Mr Tinubu attended the University, whether he attended having the right qualifications, whether he lied about the schools he attended, whether government College Lagos was founded in 1970 or 1974, that’s another story entirely. And the deeper you dig into this, the messier it becomes, and I actually think that we have a duty not to allow truth to become transactional and subjective. Facts on the ground are clear, the certificate submitted by Mr. Tinubu is a forgery. That is not my opinion, that is what the registrar of the school has declared.”

Farotimi was then asked if it was possible for fresh evidence concerning the alleged forgery of Tinubu’s certificate to be admitted into the Supreme Court in the Presidential election appeal case, and he said, “Nigerian courts, over the past few years, have shown very clearly that we have good reasons to be worried about the capacity to deliver justice or to give equity.

“However, I do know that within the inherent jurisdiction of that court, it has the powers, if it so desires and if it finds the will to hear evidence that will suggest what the person who is sat in the highest office of the land is a career criminal, that is entirely up to the supreme court, It is up to the court to decide whether it is capable of saving what we have described variously as a democracy.” He then said that this was a purely personal opinion of his, as he emphasized that he does not hate anyone, but rather, hates their deeds.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has condemned the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for issuing a ‘final warning’ to owners of Arise Television over the use of derogatory and incendiary remarks on the station.

In its reaction shared on its X account in the early hours of Saturday, October 7, 2023, Amnesty International Nigeria said the NBC action has proven that the Nigerian authorities are not prepared to be held accountable.

It urged the government to desist from what it called an attempt to silence media organisations whose roles are crucial in ensuring independent and diverse media space in the country.

The statement read, “Amnesty International condemns the ‘final warning’ issued to @ARISEtv by the FG through National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Targeting Arise TV simply for doing their work sends the wrong message that; Nigerian authorities are not prepared to be held accountable.

“Nigerian authorities must stop the unrelenting quest to silence media organizations like @ARISEtv which are crucial to ensuring independent and diverse media space in the country and fulfilling people’s right to information.

“Using regulations as a way to silence independent journalism is completely unacceptable. The media in Nigeria should be free to exercise their right to freedom of expression as protected by international law.”