Former presidential candidate, Oby Ezekwesili, has attacked the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) after it suspended the license of Daar Communications Plc., owners of Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Ray Power.
NBC Director-General, Modibbo Kawu, announcing the suspension on Thursday, said the action was taken for failure of the broadcasting station to abide by the broadcasting code.
Nigerians have appeared unimpressed with the sanction, calling it an attack on the media.
Ezekwesili, a former education minister, said on Friday via Twitter with an attached copy of NBC sanction letter to AIT, that the commission wants AIT to be like the state-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in its approach to matters concerning the government.
“My Summary of this lengthy Sanctions letter from NBC to AIT is simply this: ‘We have warned you several times in the past to stop broadcasting things that upset the Government and NBC. You refused to listen. Now we shall shut you up and down until you are ready to be like NTA’.
“There is nothing in that letter from NBC to AIT that reaches the threshold for withdrawal of license and shut down of a Media house that we all know Government perceives as an ‘Opposition media’. Wisdom should have actually instructed the FG against striking out at them,” she said.
