SERAP kicks against censorship of broadcast stations
The Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the sanctions notice issued by the the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) against broadcast stations and presenters in Nigeria.
It said in a statement on Sunday that the threats to sanction the stations and presenters was on vague and unjustified grounds, was unlawful.
“We’ve urged President Bola Tinubu to direct Mr Mohammed Idris Malagi, Minister of Information and National Orientation, and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately withdraw the unlawful ‘Formal Notice’ issued last week by the NBC, which threatens sanctions against broadcast stations and presenters on vague and unjustified grounds, including the expression of ‘personal opinions,’ alleged ‘bullying or intimidation’ of guests, and failure to ‘maintain neutrality.’
“We urged him to direct the Minister of Information and the NBC to immediately abstain from imposing prior censorship on broadcast stations and Nigerian journalists including presenters and to allow them to freely carry out their constitutional responsibilities and exercise their fundamental human rights,” the nongovernmental organization said.
It added that the request followed the notice issued to broadcasters by the NBC on 17 April 2026, alleging a rise in breaches of the 6th Edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code in ‘news, current affairs, and political programming’, and threatening that it would ‘enforce strict compliance and impose sanctions for Class B breaches.’
According to SERAP, the NBC’s notice represents a dangerous attempt to impose prior censorship on the media and suppress legitimate journalistic expression.
“The Nigerian Constitution and international human rights law protect both the absolute right to hold opinions and the qualified right to express ideas of all kinds. Journalistic opinion is protected expression,” the organization said.
