The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has requested the federal government to promptly evaluate downward the operating licences of media organisations in the nation in response to the current dire economic condition.
52 electronic media organisations in the nation had their licences recently revoked by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) because they were unable to pay for their renewal fees.
The labour movement, however, claimed that the NBC decision reeks of insensitivity to the wellbeing of the media outlets' employees and Nigerians in general in a statement signed by NLC President Ayuba Wabba.
It described information dissemination as a social service, adding that for the media organisations to ensure uninterrupted transmission requires a lot of sacrifice and resources.
“It
was with disbelief that the Nigeria Labour Congress received the news of the withdrawal of the licences of 52 media houses including both electronic television and radio media houses.
“In defence of the media, democratic and economic rights of Nigerians, we call on the NBC to rescind this decision to withdraw the operating licences of the affected 52 media houses. In light of our foregoing concerns, we urge that the media operating licence be reviewed downwards as information dissemination is a social service,” it said.
While expressing relief on the new reasoning by the NBC to allow the affected media houses to continue to operate, NLC said though the move is commendable, it still maintained that NBC’s original action lacked merit.
“While we understand that the NBC has a regulatory duty to ensure rules keeping, we believe that the action taken by the NBC is a little too drastic, dramatic, draconian, and debilitating not only for the affected media houses but also for their staff and indeed millions of Nigerians who follow programmes from the affected media houses,” it said.
NLC said the most palpable reason for the failure of many of these media houses to pay for the renewal of their operating licences could be the deteriorating economic conditions in Nigeria.
It also said that given the severe stress and strain that businesses in Nigeria have been subjected to owing the fallout of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the ongoing disruption in global and domestic energy supply, the foreign exchange volatilities, and the associated hyper-inflation, many media houses are managing to stay afloat.
“Largely to blame for this sad state of affairs is government which mismanagement of the economy has ensured that a litre of diesel is now knocking at the borderline of N1,000. To compound the situation is the epileptic supply of electricity with the national grid collapsing intermittently for the umpteenth time in recent months.
“In addition to the soaring and scary rising energy costs which hit electronic media houses hardest given that they must always be on air whether it makes economic sense or not, there are salaries to pay, maintenance services, and sundry basic operating costs to keep the media houses running and serving their listening and viewing public,” it said.
NLC wondered how the NBC expected the media organisations to survive the economic suffocations and be able to renew operating licences.
According to the labour union, “How does the NBC expect the media houses to generate the money to renew their operating licences? Indeed, Nigeria’s media houses should be eulogized for resilience, and tenacity in the face of prevailing economic blizzards.
“The action of the NBC also smacks of insensitivity to the welfare of the staff of the media houses which operations are being shut down.
“It is unthinkable that in the middle of very traumatic economic realities, government would be thinking of flinging many Nigerians into the unemployment market. Well, this is not new. A few days ago, the Nigeria Governors Forum made a case for the mass sack of Nigerians in government employment.
“The unsolicited advice, which had been robustly deflated by the NLC, reveals a very embarrassing underbelly in the thinking of those commanding the reins of power in Nigeria today – crass insensitivity. This is very sad and unfortunate.”