The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Friday, revoked licenses of 52 broadcast stations and ordered them to shut down in the next 24 hours.
The Director-General of NBC, Malam Balarabe Ilelah, who made the pronouncement in Abuja said affected media houses are owing the Commission over N2.6 billion in licensing fees since 2015.
Ilelah directed NBC offices nationwide to collaborate with security agencies to ensure immediate compliance.
He explained that in May 2022, the commission published in the national dailies, the list of licensees that are indebted to NBC, granted them two weeks to renew their licenses and pay their debts or consider their licenses revoked and frequencies withdrawn.
The affected stations include Africa Independent Television (AIT) and its sister radio station, Raypower FM; Silverbird Television.
Other affected stations are Rhythm FM (Silverbird Communications Ltd), Greetings FM (Greetings Media Ltd), Tao FM (Ovidi Communications Ltd), Zuma FM (Zuma FM Ltd), Crowther FM (Crowther Communications Ltd), WE FM (Kings Broadcasting Ltd), Linksman International ltd, Bomay Broadcasting Services Ltd, MITV (Murhi International Group Ltd), Classic FM (Pinkt Nigeria Ltd), Classic FM (Pinkt Nigeria Ltd), Classic TV (Pinkt Nigeria Ltd), Beat FM (Megalectrics LTD), Cooper Communications Ltd, Splash FM (West Midlands Ltd), Rock City FM (Boot Communications Ltd), Family FM (Kalaks Investments Nig. Ltd), Space FM (Creazioni Nig. Ltd), Radio Jeremi (Radio Jeremi ltd), Wave FM (South Atlantic Media Ltd), Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation, Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation, Niger State Broadcasting Corporation, Breeze FM (Bays Water ltd), Vibes FM (Vibes Communication ltd) and Family Love FM (Multimesh Broadcasting Co. ltd).
The rest are Gombe State Broadcasting Corporation, Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation, Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, Ondo State Broadcasting Corporation, Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation, Bayelsa State Broadcasting Corporation, Cross River State Broadcasting Corporation, Imo State Broadcasting Corporation, Anambra State Broadcasting Corporation, Borno State Broadcasting Corporation, Yobe State Broadcasting Corporation, Sokoto State Broadcasting Corporation, Zamfara State Broadcasting Corporation, Kebbi State Broadcasting Corporation, Jigawa State Broadcasting Corporation, Kaduna State Broadcasting Corporation, and Katsina State Broadcasting Corporation.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Friday, Ilelah said there was no political undertone in revoking the license of the debtor-broadcast stations. He said: “Three months after the publication of the debtors’ list, some licensees are yet to pay their outstanding debts, in contravention of the NBC Act CAP N11, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, particularly section 10 (a) of the third schedule of the Act.
“In view of this development, the continued operation of the debtor stations is illegal and constitutes a threat to national security. Therefore, after due consideration, NBC hereby announces the revocation of the licenses of the under-listed stations and give them 24 hours to their operations.”
Speaking further, the NBC DG said all broadcast stations who have not renewed their licenses for the current duration are advised to do so within the next 30 days to avoid sanctions.
“The Commission also call on all IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and all other broadcast stations that are streaming online to register with the Commission to avoid disconnection. Broadcasters should note that having a DTT or FM license does not warrant a broadcaster to stream online; they are two different licenses,” he noted.
He added that NBC had been in talks with the media houses for more than a year, but they refused to revert.