By Afolabi Oluwatobi Lagos
At the DSO Stakeholders’ Retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday, 25 Jan. 2018, The Hon Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, condemned the recent airing of inciting materials by broadcast organizations. Under the ‘Character of Broadcasting’ in the Code, there is a Section that catches my attention. It is Section 0.2.1, which reads: ”Broadcasting shall influence society positively, setting the agenda for the social, cultural, economic, political and technological development of a nation, for the public good.” He said.
The minister then pointed out that the Administration will neither stifle press freedom nor tamper with freedom of expression. But it will also not condone a situation in which broadcast stations will set the nation on fire by ignoring the minimum standard as contained in the Broadcast Code. “If we set the country on fire by our actions, none of us will escape the consequences. For those who may think this is far-fetched, let me remind them that a radio station, Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), played a significant role during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that left some 800,000 people dead”, he said .
