NBC in last one year: Idahaba’s ‘no dull moment’ in office [Article]

Just like yesterday, it has being one eventful year after assumption of office by the Ag Director General, National Braodcasting Commission NBC, Professor Aduku Augustine Armstrong Idachaba.

There have been dramatic change that one could pointedly say, the Acting Director General, National Broadcasting Corporation has had ‘no dull moment’ refocusing the government media regulatory agency for a sanitised environment where every one’s social, political and cultural affinity is respected.

Today, ethics and codes of broadcast journalism is respected and any infraction is met with sanction because a new Sheriff is enthroned.

Professor Idachaba who rose through the cadre of the NBC, joined the organisation in 1994, held several positions of authority in the organisation in the last 27 years.

His appointment as Ag Director General National Broadcasting Commission NBC,was purely on merit as the most senior Director in the organization when the onus of leadership fell on him.

As an insider, his appointment was greeted with alot of pomp and peageantry as well as high expectations, as the challenge of leadership was simplified, from his wisdom and management acumen, that brought on board de-spirited staffers of the organization back to seamless synergy, to move the Broadcast organisation to high pedestal of perfomance in the spirit of new leadership.

Professor Idachaba hit the ground running, as he convened stakeholders’ meeting to chart a new course for the advancement of National Broadcasting Commission NBC, in line with the expectations of government and the general public.

With anxiousness and all seriousness it deserved, the Professor of Mass Communication and Dramatic Arts left no stone unturned that immediately restored and redeemed the image of Nigeria both within and the international communities, deployed strictly the acceptable and standard broadcast code/norms on the broadcast stations, that was hitherto a subject of constant breach by many broadcast organisations.

Professor Idachaba hurriedly restored sanity in the broadcast industry as he frowned against unsubstantiated news, fake news, inciting news, hate speech, blackmail and other anti broadcast code insinuations, against the constituted authorities that had portrayed the image of the country negatively and in bad light.

He controlled to the barest minimum politically motivated statements being broadcast by both Radio and Television stations not in tandem with the laid down procedures of the NBC, as the chief reguator of their activities.

This development brought sanity to broadcast industry, attracted more investments and investors into the country, with their investments not proned to misinformation.

The new Ag Director General also improved the revenue base of the organisation and for the first time in the history of the NBC, he made the organisation a self sustainined agency in terms of finances and fundings, a feat that was commended by the federal lawmakers after a careful study and delisted from 2020 yearly appropriations, aftermath a marvelous perfomance on the way its revenue was handled.

The vote of confidence passed on the current leadership of the Commission by the National Assembly, the legislative arm of government charged with scrutiny of finances or goverrment was a unique achievement, rare in recent times.

Professor Idachaba who made transparency and accountability as one of his cardinal objectives did not negate his set goals, as workers are being motivated for optimum perfomance with new offices opened both at the state, zonal levels in the country.

The Havard trained Professor refused to concede professional practices at the altar of sensationalism and against national interest, as he insisted that the broadcast code is the ‘Holy Book’ of broadcast stations in Nigeria, and its provision must be strictly followed as outlined by the chief regulator, the NBC.

Hence the decision of NBC that reprimanded some broadcast organisations that deliberately breached the practice code, aftermath of Endsars protests was a welcome decision, a development many Nigerians agreed was a right decision at that particular point in time.

This decision was also applicable to broadcast stations that misinformed the general public, through advertisement of the availability of orthodox and unorthodox drugs/cure for the newly discovered COVID-19 pandemic, that had ravaged the entire world to a standstill, with Nigeria not an exception.

The positive development through deployment of the broadcast regulatory code had brought total sanity to the broadcast industry, as many stations in Nigeria due to quaterly assessment rejigged by the new Commission, had imbued the culture of fair practice in the course of broadcasting in Nigeria.

The climax of the present management achievements was the approval of over 9 billion naira by the federal government for the Digital Switch Over DSO of the activities of NBC, from analogue to Digital, under the present dispensation.

This major achievement that almost eluded the country under the former dispensation in NBC with an instruction to countries to switch over not later that 2020, granted a concession to Nigeria to key in the next few years by the ITU, from the determination of the current management.

The concession was borne out of the willingness and determination of the NBC to key into the specified time, after offices were already opened in Kano, Enugu and Jos for off,spread to Lagos , Port-Harcourt,Enugu in the new order.

This is in addition to many requests by individuals, companies and group that daily sought for broadcast liencenses to either operate a new Radio stations and Television in Nigeria,going by the lucrative and conducive nature of their operations under the current Management.

The University Don in the last one year used the NBC to foster social integration, national unity, economic viability and technological breakthrough in Nigeria.

As it will be expected in the coming years, more breakthroughs, through a well thought out leadership inertia that is prepared to deliver on the mandate of NBC.

Abubakar Yusuf writes from Abuja