At a public hearing organized by the House Committee on Information on Wednesday 16 June 2021,the Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed,asked the House of Representatives to enact a law to regulate social and online media in Nigeria.
The minister asked the lawmakers to amend the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) act to empower the agency to regulate social and online media.
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.
The minister said: “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.”
At the public hearing, media stakeholders kicked against the move and asked the house panel to make the NBC more independent of the minister of information.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Media and Society, Akin Akingbulu,
“The power to give directives to the commission, vested in the minister of information in section six should be removed and replaced with powers which include policy formulation for the broadcasting sector.”
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.”
In their joint submission, the International Press Centre (IPC) and the Centre for Media Law and Advocacy said the appointment of the NBC board should be subject to the confirmation of the national assembly.
