OPEN LETTER TO HE BOLA AHMED TINUBU (GCFR) PRESIDENT FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
STATE HOUSE ABUJA
THRU HON MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION
24TH JULY 2024
SAVING NIGERIA INDIGENEOUS PRIVATE TV CHANNELS FROM ACTS OF AREWA24 TV,
AN ALLEGEDLY UN-LICENSED FOREIGN TV CHANNEL BY NBC USING AREWA BRAND NAME TO OPERATE IN NIGERIA
The Nigerian Broadcast media space is fraught with landmines that make its progress an uphill task. This is evident with the number of the Broadcast media outfits that are today rested with their skeletal remains discernible in the historical media graveyard.
The berthing and liberalization of the broadcast media opens other doors of opportunities for investment, employment, growth and development of the society by the private broadcasters.
Today, the private broadcast outfits are faced with challenges arising from poor facilities, government regulation and legislations, expensive equipment, welfare and debts. Funding, access to equipment, power supply, high cost of diesel and the need for digitalization tugging at the pockets of the investors.
The television broadcasting industry also faces the challenges of decline in advertising revenues
If these points raised above are doing-in the private broadcast industries, especially in some disadvantage zones in Nigeria, government regulation and legislations seem the greatest underhand acts that is today sinking them further.
Recently at its 79th General Assembly held in Benin Edo State, the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) in its communique, fell short of declaring bankruptcy of its members as a result of the harsh economic conditions threatening the industry due to the removal of the oil subsidy, the deregulation of the foreign exchange market that has engendered the risk in exchange rate, the astronomical increase in electricity tariffs, all resulting in the operational cost of the broadcast media.
BON therefore requested for a Presidential media support initiative for concession on tariffs and rates to facilitate partnership with the government, to prevent the unprecedented shutdown of many broadcast media houses.
While that may be a general problem for the industry, the Indigenous Content private broadcast media are worst hit.
The lack of patronage by most Advertising Agencies and Clients is legendary. Some of those foreign channels and brands that they patronize neither broadcast in the lingua franca of the Zones nor even received by the majority of the populace.
And for those Local TV Channels and Radio Stations who take the bull by the horn with all attendant risks to invest in it, they are not recognized in the Template of Media Rating Agencies, such as the Media Planning Service (MPS) in Lagos to be even be supported through patronage by Blue Chip Companies and Advertising Agencies
The essence of the regulatory organs is to ensure a level playing ground with equity, but to ensure every industry player plays by the books. But today in Nigeria, especially in Northern Nigeria, the George Orwell “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others” seems to apply.
Here, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria APCON and the National Broadcasting Commission NBC readily come to mind.
How could anyone today establish a behemoth Illegal TV broadcast outfit without being registered and licensed with the NBC, refused to play by the books and still allowed to be on air and Broadcasting in Nigeria and carting away over 95% of Nigerian Advertising Budget/Spend from Clients and Advertising Agencies to the Northern TV Audience
How in the world would foreign business people sashay into Nigeria nay Northern Nigeria known in the regional lingua franca as AREWA24, TV Channel set up a behemoth broadcast outfit also in such name and not known to any Nigerian law and Code, not conscious of the Federal Government of Nigeria local and community content Policies, operates at its own whim and caprices without recourse to any regulatory “dos” and “don’ts”, yet government approved regulatory bodies turn deaf ears and blind eyes to such acts despite persistent Complaints from Concerned Northern Nigerians
Can any Nigerian investor dare this in any nation outside the shore of Nigeria?
The lethargy of these regulatory bodies is further aiding such “above the law” outfits by aliens, add to the burden of Nigeria private indigenous broadcast outfits, especially in northern Nigeria by their underhand acts.
These regulatory bodies established by law must ensure they perform their Regulatory mandates to bring to book such illegal alien outfits in National Interest and to protect both private and public indigenous broadcast outfits, especially in northern Nigeria?
Remember, these are people who make their money Illegally in Nigeria and ferry their profits offshore without recourse to Nigeria developing or not. They are not concerned about the Host Communities and sustainability of such business for the growth and development of Nigeria. They can and would shut down operations and leave Nigeria, if and when the chips are down. As a result, they care not what fate befalls indigenous outfits.
The private indigenous broadcast outfits, especially in northern Nigeria on the other hand, have nowhere to run, but brace the situations to swim or sink. They provide employment opportunities aside the National Security and social responsibilities to Nigeria, their listeners cum viewers, aid unity, peace, growth and development of the nation.
Except the Nigerian broadcast regulatory bodies in caput with these alien business hawks want to kill private Nigerian indigenous broadcast outfits, especially in northern Nigeria which we can ill afford, especially now
We humbly beg for Mr President to Intervene to the Stoppage of the Illegalities by Regulators and Advertising Agencies for the survival of the indigenous Television Channels in Nigeria
Mr President Sir we humbly Pray for your Urgent Intervention in National Interest
-Alhaji (Dr) Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan
(Fcilt, Fcis,Fni-Uk, Arpa)
Chairman Board of Trustees
Northern Broadcast Media Owners Association (NBMOA)
Wednesday
24th July 2024