Byline: Ladan Yusuf
Abuja, Nigeria - August 2, 2025 (Series News Online)
The Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum (ABMPF) has issued a stern warning to the Niger State Government, threatening to boycott all official engagements if what it describes as a sustained attack on press freedom within the state does not cease, according to a statement released to Channels Television.
ABMPF Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Yelwa, made the declaration, stating, "Badeggi FM remains operational despite the Governor's illegal directive to shut it down. We commend the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for standing its ground and refusing to enforce an unlawful order."
Yelwa accused the administration of Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of employing state resources to intimidate Badeggi FM and obstruct its constitutionally protected operations. He lauded the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris Malagi, for affirming that state governments have no jurisdiction over broadcast stations licensed by the NBC.
Yelwa warned that unless Governor Bago reins in those allegedly harassing the station on his behalf, the Forum would instruct its members to withdraw coverage of all Niger State government activities, quoting, "In a time of insecurity and economic hardship, public officials should foster an environment of tolerance and open dialogue, rather than suppress dissenting voices."
The Forum also criticized what it described as a persistent imbalance in media patronage, where Northern governors heavily fund media houses in the Southwest, particularly in the Lagos-Ibadan axis, while neglecting indigenous Northern broadcasters. Yelwa noted, "Billions of Naira are spent annually on Southwest media, while resilient local stations like Badeggi FM are marginalized and targeted. This practice must end."
ABMPF called on member stations experiencing similar intimidation to report to the Forum’s Secretariat for coordinated action, emphasizing that the media is not an enemy of the state but a mirror to society, with Yelwa reiterating, "The media is not an enemy of the state but a mirror to society."
The Forum reiterated its call for all Nigerian leaders to engage the media landscape with greater responsibility and democratic integrity.
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Media