The Nigerian government has banned broadcasters in Nigeria from transmitting live news broadcasts from foreign stations. The decision was announced at a press conference yesterday by the head of the regulatory agency, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Sila Yisa.
The ban, which takes effect tomorrow, is necessary because it is “a professional aberration” for a local station to relay live any news item over which it has no editorial control, said Yisa. Such live broadcasts also pose a danger to Nigeria’s national interests, he said.
“Any terrestrial broadcast station in Nigeria that conducts a live relay of news or news programmes of a foreign station will be sanctioned according to the prescription of the NBC code,” Yisa said. Foreign news and related programmes will in future only be allowed on local radio and television stations after the scripts have been re-written and voiced locally, he continued.
on Mar 31st, 2004 at 12:04
I think that the knew broadcasting laws in Nigeria are bad for a country which is supposed to be working it’s way towards democracy. Does it include 24-hour relays?