Chief Raymond Dokpesi, owner of suspended Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower Radio is in fresh trouble.
The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Dr. Modibbo Kawu has given the conditions upon which DAAR Communications Plc, operators of AIT and Ray Power FM can get their license back.
“We were very consistent in the pattern of monitoring every single radio and television station in Nigeria. When DAAR Communications was given a license, it was not given the license on the partisan basis, there are basic steps that you take and when you look at the license, there are obligations that you have to meet in terms of running a broadcast outfit.”
“It did not matter whether Raymond Dokpesi, owner of DAAR Communications Plc belongs to a political party. I joined the APC in October 2018, when I ran for Governorship position in my state. So it is not about the political party I belong to. I am a media professional and there are certain basic responsibilities that every broadcasting station owe to the Nigerian state.”
“We are not a censorship institution. We made it clear to all broadcast stations that the obligation they have is to have Nigeria first before you have broadcasting or any social institution. The way and manner they uphold the integrity of their country is what matters. I have been very deliberate in my regulatory responsibility because I know them very very well.”
“There are certain basic steps that you take when your licenses are suspended. One is that DAAR Communications have to pay entirely all the money they own NBC, have to take certain other steps that would come up as we go along. It is not adversarial relationship; we are not targeting them as an institution.”
“The regulator and the licensee have a relationship which has been codified by the Nigerian laws and those laws are basic: the Nigerian Broadcasting Act and Nigerian broadcasting code. These are the platforms upon which every licensee must operate.”
“There is no licensee no matter how big or small bigger than the regulator. What has happened is that over the years, DAAR Communications have behaved as if they cannot be regulated. And there is no institution in Nigeria that cannot be regulated, you either fall in obeying the law, walking down the narrow part or you are out of business. We are not going to have a horsiest state of nature in Nigeria, especially in broadcasting.”
“There are always steps that ought to be taken to get back their license but they must walk down the straight and narrow part, must adhere to the terms of their license, must pay every single kobo they owe NBC because if they did not pay they ought not be on air. Our position on license fee is that they are supposed to pay the license fee six months to the ending by signifying intension to pay. They have never taken the proper and right steps.”
“We have held several meetings with them about their payment structure. They will not tell us how they are supposed to pay because the regulator makes the law in terms of that. The licensee cannot determine how he operates. It does not happen anywhere in the world because there are set down laws that you must follow to be a broadcaster in the Nigerian society.”