The Chief Operating Officer, COO of Vision Media Services, Mallam Shuaibu Mungadi, has reacted to the story about the suspension by the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC of Idon Mikiya, a programme aired on Vision FM and Farin Wata TV.
Mungadi who spoke with this newspaper Wednesday night by telephone described the suspension and fine imposed on their company as unfair.
He wondered why the station’s programme would be suspended and fined, without first being queried over the issues.
Newsdiaryonline had reported that in a letter titled:” Prejudicial content on Idon Mikiya: A suspension order”, earlier the NBC said it “monitored the broadcast of your programme, Idon Mikiya on 5th January 2022 on your station Vision FM and Farin Wata TV, with concern.
“Your discussion of issues including appointments at the National Intelligence Agency(NIA) constitutes a breach of the provisions of Section 39(3)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which imposes a restriction on matters concerning Government Security Services or Agencies established by law.
“Transmitting the Trade Secrets or other issues regarding a National Security Agency amounts to an act prejudicial to National Security contrary to the above section cited,” the NBC DG Balarabe Shehu Ilelah said in the letter to Vision Media Services Ltd.
NBC suspended the programme for six months just as it imposed a five million Naira fine on the station.
While reacting to the development, the COO said the genesis of this saga was the trenchant discussions on its programme aired on Vision FM and Farin Wata TV about the Ikoyigate in which the funds were traced NIA. There were also chats over another tranche of money allegedly recovered from the NIA headquarters by a former acting DG and the unconfirmed rumours surrounding that.
“As journalists, we have records of these happenings and there was nothing from the government, no explanation. Actually, we should ask questions. (Members of) the public is entitled to know, what happened to Ikoyigate? What happened to the culprit? What happened to the money? Who and who is involved? Who was punished and so on?
“So if Magu can be (probed) if the military can be indicted by this government and many of them arrested and prosecuted, then why is it that up till now nothing has been heard about this Ikoyigate and other money?” he asked.
According to Mungadi, there were also discussions surrounding the NIA Reform Committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari and headed by Ambassador Babagana Kingibe. The current NIA DG served as the Committee’s Secretary. The COO of Vision FM noted that questions that were raised about these series of developments evidently did not go down well with some top officials.
Mungadi insisted, however, that they were only carrying out their functions as journalists according to the Nigerian Constitution.
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