By Time Nigeria
Following the intervention of the leadership of Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), led by Mr John Momoh, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has extended the deadline for the payment of outstanding licence fees by broadcast stations by three months.
This was disclosed on Friday in Abuja by the Director-General of NBC, Malam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, who said that the new deadline is now set to be June 30, 2017.
The D-G NBC however commended the leadership of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria for championing an initiative to synergise broadcast organisations and officials of the NBC to work out modalities leading to a final solution on the matter.
According to him, “the Commission would release a statement of account to each station within the month of April, to enable them reconcile their records and remit what is owed before June 30.”
The extension followed an initial announcement by the NBC to shut down all indebted broadcast stations after March 31, if the outstanding fees were not paid.
Malam Kawu said more than 54 broadcast licences have been revoked since 2015, adding that the number of revocations would rise as new applicants for broadcast licences replace indebted broadcasters.
“There are those who used political connections with the top-most political leadership in Nigeria in the past to get illegal and undue favours that ran contrary to the NBC Act and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code,” he emphasised.
Kawu noted that “it’s a different period in our country”, saying “nobody will go to Aso Villa and get black market deal anymore”.