NBC: Government, Country and People

Anthony Kila critique the recent threat by the Director General of the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation, Mallam Balarabe Ilelah, to suspend 52 radio and television stations nationwide for allegedly refusing to pay their licence fees

Dear Readers,

It is interesting, even amazing, to discover that the name of Malam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah and by extension his person is not as known as it should be in the country at least at the moment. An inquiry into the most researched items on search engines in Nigeria in the last week, starting from google to the other search engines shows he is not even in the top 52. This seems to me a rather counterintuitive finding that makes one wonder if there isn’t something somewhat illogical in the way we as a people consume news and information in general.

By the way, if you don’t know and you are still wondering who Malam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah is then you are one of the many that did not bother to look him up. Let us just disclose here that Malam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah is Director General of the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) I mean let us think about. How many media regulators in the whole wide world have had enough reasons and the courage to announce the suspension of the 52 media houses in just one statement? Right or wrong, the NBC DG has performed an outstanding and indeed a historic feat. Be it to applaud, be it to condemn his action, one would have expected readers, viewers and listeners to rush to their source of information to find more out about him. Ordinarily, one would think many would be interested in discovering the life and ways of the man who had the courage and mindset to announce the suspension of 52 media houses in a democratic regime.

One would think many would want to know what are his philosophical references and moral influences, what relationship has he got with private property and freedom of speech, what are his thoughts on the economy and social cohesion and perhaps what was his style of management and accomplishment as an administrator and a professional before he was identified and promoted to lead arguably the apex regulating agency of such a sensitive industry and sector in his country. The reason for which Malam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah on behalf and in the name of the NBC decided to suspend 52 media agencies is that they are debtors who have not paid their license fees. Commonsensically and on the surface the first reaction that comes to mind is that debtors should pay their debts, after all, it is an agreement they entered into. As individuals, we have subscriptions that we all pay and when we don’t pay them, the provider automatically suspends the service, at best with warning.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Yes, it is difficult to instinctively discount such position. A closer look that goes beyond the surface and from a learned and deliberate head will however clearly reveal that the situation is not exactly as simple as “pay your bills to avoid disruptions”. The NBC is a regulatory agency that cannot be readily equated to service providers such as satellite TV providers, telephone companies or internet service providers that incur production expenses in order to provide their measurable services to the customers they invoice. In the case of the NBC, neither production expenses nor services rendered to the invoiced is measurable. This is a good time for anyone that knows and can provide a list of the services and value that the NBC renders to media houses to step forward. The amount designed to be requested from media outlets, little or much as it maybe to you, was at no point negotiated between the regulator and the operators. The NBC simply decides such and expect media outlets to pay. The NBC does not bother herself with the cost of diesel and petrol required to power media stations nor does she concern herself with the level of possible profit or loss that media outlets might incur, like a cruel stepmother, what matters to the NBC is for the basket of harvest to be full and all plates washed before night. Those who shouted and continue to shout foul can easily be understood.

It is easy to imagine and even suspect that the NBC’s main secret and sinister agenda is to gag the media. Suspend so many today and by so doing let those allowed to operate know that it could be them tomorrow. Even when we for a moment admit what those close to government and the NBC say that those who see beyond payment of license fee are being mischievous. It is still not consoling. Allowing such thoughts to even enter into people’s minds let alone come out of their lips and pens is an unforced of error. It is an avoidable mistake typical of those who wield power in a postmodern era but with the mindset of the period of absolutism. At a time wherein everything is questioned, the least the NBC can do is to act in a way that will not allow anyone, foes and those in bad faith included, accuse them of any kind of media gagging. Leaving their flank open to such criticisms is the kind of error makes the government look worse than it is. The NBC has said that her action is not political but that is not tenable. NBC is a government agency and everything government does is political, from nomination of the DG of an agency to the commissioners and directors to the polices these agencies formulate to the ones they choose to implement or not to implement everything is political.

What then are the overriding public interests represented and pursued by government? Job and wealth creation one would believe, social cohesion and stability one would imagine. The NBC as she stands today does not at all seem to be an agency useful to country, government and people. With its fame of fining and suspending, she makes the country look like a totalitarian country that does not respect or tolerate diversity and dissent, she makes government appear uncaring about and unconnected to a people that needs to be encouraged to believe in a system that seems designed to take more from them than she gives at every turn.

Join me if you can @anthonykila to continue these conversations.

-Kila is Centre Director at CIAPS Lagos. www.ciaps.org.