Don’t source news, information from Twitter, NBC orders TV, radio stations

National Broadcasting Commission has directed all broadcasting stations in Nigeria to deactivate their Twitter handles immediately.

Specifically, the commission asked all broadcast stations to suspend their patronage of the social media service as a source of information gathering for news and programmes presentation especially phone-in.

The acting Director-General of the NBC, Armstrong Idachaba, in a statement on Monday, said the directive was in line with Section 2(1) of the NBC Act, which entrusted the commission with the responsibility to ensure strict adherence to the national laws, rules and regulations.

The directive followed the suspension last Friday of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government.

The NBC said, “Also, section 3.11.2 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code provides that the broadcaster shall ensure that law enforcement is upheld at all times in a matter depicting that law and order are socially superior to or more desirable than crime and anarchy.

“Attention is also drawn to section 5.6.3 of the code which requires broadcasters to be mindful of materials that may cause disaffection, incite to panic or rift in the society in the use of a User Generated Content (UGC).”

Idachaba said that it would be unpatriotic for any broadcaster in Nigeria to continue to patronise the suspended Twitter as a source of its information and called for strict compliance.