A northern based group, Arewa Youth Assembly on Friday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to punish the proprietor of Berekete Family Radio proprietor, Ahmed Isah for allegedly taking laws into his hands while conducting his activities.
The group alleged that Ahmed Isah has been involved in professional misconduct, unbecoming of journalism practice even as he constituted himself into an authority.
The Publicity Secretary of the group, Ali Muhammad, speaking at a press conference on Friday in Abuja, said, the Human Rights Radio owner shouldn’t just be cautioned, but be severely punished, for using his platform to denigrate the integrity and reputation of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and its key staff; the immediate past President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick among others which have continued to pose as an assault to the nation’s judiciary.
The group also added that Ahmed Isah made his platform available to a House of Representatives member from Jigawa State, Hon. Gudaji Kazaure who raised alarm over perceived corruption within the Central Bank of Nigeria. A development, the group claimed, was maligning.
He said:
“We wonder what or who has given Ahmed Isa this much power to a point of calling himself a President, using his radio house as a courtroom, where various cases are heard and verdicts and passed with him as the lawyer and the judge as well.
“He thinks of himself as so powerful that he can decide to call any calibre of Nigerian whenever he wishes to, not minding the nature of work and how busy the individual could be at that material time.
He alone has taken up the responsibility of acting as the Commander-in-Chief of our dear country, continuously undermining and making a mockery of the office and person of President Muhammadu Buhari severally as was seen in the case of the ASUU strike, where he was quoted to have said he would pay up ASUU, inciting Nigerians against their one, and true President.
“With the way things are going, if Ahmed Isa is left unchecked, we might one day witness a coup de tat, Ahmad Isa is power drunk and can do unseen things to acquire it, since he has undermined every legally constituted authority in this country.”
Arewa Youths Assembly’s prayers to FG
Making the demands known, the organisation urged the FG to ensure that Nigeria’s broadcasting codes are strictly adhered to while punishing those that veered off with full wrath of the law.
Alleging that Isah seems to be forming a parallel government in Nigeria, Muhammad called on the Nigerian government and all security agencies to look into the activities of the broadcaster and the Berkete family to authenticate their source of funding and their overall activities.
He added:
“The Arewa Youth Assembly is vigilant, attentively paying attention, hence calling with a strong voice of caution on those individuals who go to the Brekete radio house to not discuss sensitive national issues that are capable of causing chaos, disorderliness or incite the youths to violence.”
Ahmed Isah reacts
Speaking to Legit.ng, Isah said although he doubts the authenticity of the organisation making the claims, he would, however, appreciate it if they point to the section of the broadcasting code he has violated.
His words:
“I am human and I keep saying it I am not perfect, I am ready to make amends where necessary. Let them identify the sections of the code I have breached and if there is a need for me to make corrections, I take them. I am not a perfect human being.
“I say this all the time, I am only being moved by the zeal to see a better society in Nigeria.”
Also, stating that the attack on his person and his broadcast station is sponsored by some supposedly high and mighty corrupt Nigerians, Isa says he is optimistic that Nigeria will become a better place once the country is rid of corruption.
Isa added:
“It is corruption that is fighting back, the table is shaking and it is affecting a lot of people. Again, the target is for the radio stations to shut down, we;ve never had it this bad but will we get it right.”
Also addressing some of the issues raised by the organisation, Isa for every issue handled by his radio station, his team make a concrete effort to balance their reporting.
He said:
“On Pinnick’s allegation, I reached out to Pinnick to hear his own side of the story same with that of the CBN and its governor, Godwin Emefiele and that is what we always do – seek balance.”
FG backtracks, announces suspension of shut down of broadcast stations
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the National Broadcasting Commission has suspended the shutdown of some broadcast stations across Nigeria over the failure to renew their broadcasting licences.
NBC had on Friday, August 19, issued a shutdown notice to the licensees including DAAR Communications Ltd and Silverbird TV/Rhythm FM and others that are indebted to the commission.
However, a statement signed by NBC’s director-general, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, said the commission would be reneging on its initial declaration.
NBC revokes licences of Silverbird, AIT, Raypower, Rhythm FM, gives them 24 hours to shut down.
The National Broadcasting Commission had taken strong action against 52 radio and TV stations across the country.
A statement by the commission indicates that it has revoked the licenses of Silverbird TV, AIT, and others over failure to renew their broadcast licences.
The media stations, according to the NBC, have also been given 24 hours to shut down their operations.
