NBC’s query, beyond constitutional duties of the agency – Soyinka

The query slammed on Channels Television by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for granting a live interview with the executive governor of Benue State was beyond the constitutional powers of the regulatory agency, Nobel laureate, Professor Woke Soyinka has said.

Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom on Tuesday criticised President Muhammadu Buhari on Channels Television Sunrise Daily programme, a personality show interview.

Reacting to the development, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, expressed shock that the NBC has also questioned journalists for anchoring the interview.

In what he described as ‘Sanctions on the loose: Chasing the gnat with a sledge hammer’ at a media parley in Lagos on Friday, Soyinka said the regulatory body went beyond its constitutional duties and did not have the power to decide what is “professional and sound judgement” as it relates to the media.

“I think all of you have seen the letter sent by the National Broadcasting Corporation to Channels TV. It is the first time I have actually seen an example of the kind of query that the media is getting,” he said.

The Nobel Laureate faulted the NBC on part of its letter to Channels Television which stated
“the broadcaster shall ensure that its presenter shall handle with professionalism and sound judgement.”

According to him, “Professionalism and sound judgement? Who decides that? Is the National Broadcasting Commission the mass communication fora? Is it judging people’s papers? Is it setting examinations? Who is the impartial arbiter? Who is the expert who decides things like that? This is one of the most outstanding semi-literate kind of official query,” Soyinka querried.

He also lamented what he called genocide going on in Plateau, Kaduna and Benue States, which he said, the Federal government was helpless, adding that young boys and girls were being taken for ransom payments by bandits and criminal elements.

“Among the actions that qualify as genocide are: One, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; two, deliberate inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction in whole or in part, and finally forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

“So where are the Chibok girls? Where are the pupils of the Ahmadiyya School? Where are the pupils of the Bethel Baptist School? So what is happening? How do we describe the targeting of children.?”

Soyinka, therefore, called on the international community to intervene and stop the enslavement of children in form of kidnapping, abduction and trading of children to the highest bidder.