Press Release
The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to stop using the NBC Act and Broadcasting Code to impose fines, sanctions, or intimidate independent media houses in the country. The court ruled that NBC lacks the legal authority to penalize media houses for promoting diverse information on public issues.
The judgment, delivered in June by Justice Nicholas Oweibo, followed a lawsuit by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID). This lawsuit was a response to the NBC's decision in 2022 to impose a fine of N5 million each on Trust TV, Multichoice Nigeria Limited, NTA-Startimes Limited, and TelcCom Satellite Limited, over their documentaries on terrorism in the country.
This ruling is consistent with an earlier judgment by Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declared null and void the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code authorizing the NBC to impose fines on broadcast stations . In that case, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) had challenged the NBC's imposition of fines on media platforms for allegedly undermining Nigeria's national security by broadcasting documentaries on banditry.
The court's decision emphasizes the importance of press freedom and the role of independent media in promoting diverse information and ideas. It also highlights the limits of regulatory bodies like the NBC in enforcing sanctions and fines on media houses. By upholding the rights of media houses to report freely, the court has helped safeguard the fundamental principles of democracy and freedom of expression.
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Judiciary