The federal government has asked the house of representatives to enact a law backing the regulation of social media in the country.
The minister of information and culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, made the plea at a public hearing on a bill to amend the National Broadcasting Commission Act, organised by the house committee on information, national orientation, ethics and values.
Section two (b) of the NBC act 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.”
Mohammed, however, wants the commission to also be able to regulate the online media in addition to other channels of broadcasting.
“I want to add here specifically that internet broadcasting and all online media should be included in this because we have a responsibility to monitor contents, including Twitter.”
However, the International Press Council (IPC), the Institute for Media and Society as well as the Radio Television and Theatre Arts Workers’ Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) opposed the inclusion of internet broadcast and online media in the category of broadcast service licenses, saying it would be injurious to the civic space, freedom of expression and media freedom.
They called for full independence for the NBC to operate as a full regulator rather than being subservient to the whims and caprices of the executive arm.
The executive director, Institute for Media and Society, Dr Akin Akingbulu, said the ‘most prominent gap’ in the NBC Act was its failure to provide for independence as a regulatory body for the commission, thus giving room for political interference in its activities.
“The power to give directives to the commission, vested in the minister of information in Section 6 should be removed and replaced with powers which include policy formulation for the broadcasting sector,” he said.
He added that the minister should be involved in the “negotiation of international agreements, notifying the commission of the policy direction of government and ensuring that the independence of the commission is protected at all times.”
Similarly, the IPC and the Centre for Media Law and Advocacy, in their joint submission said the appointment of the NBC board should be subject to the confirmation of the national assembly.
“The conduct of the NBC has over time presented it as an extension of the minister of information and culture which rarely acts independently,” they said.
They also opposed moves to empower the NBC to fix tariffs for pay television stressing that fixing tariffs arbitrarily could lead to excessive pricing capable of discouraging investment in the sector.
