Pascal Oparada
Radio and television stations in Nigeria will lose millions of followers as the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission on Monday directed all licensed TV and Radio Stations to deactivate their Twitter accounts.
The acting Director-General of the NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, issued the directive in a statement on Monday titled: “Suspend Twitter handles.”
He said: “Consequent on the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government over the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining the corporate existence of Nigeria, the National Broadcasting Commission directs all Broadcasting Stations in Nigeria to suspend the patronage of Twitter immediately.
“In Compliance to the above directive, Broadcasting Stations are hereby advised to de-install Twitter handles and desist from using Twitter as a source (UGC) of information gathering for News and programmes Presentation especially phone-in.
“Section 2(1) r of the NBC Act entrusts the Commission with responsibility to ensure strict adherence to the national laws, rules and regulations. 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).
“Note that it will be unpatriotic for any broadcaster in Nigeria to continue to patronise the suspended Twitter as a source of its information therefore strict compliance is enjoined.”
Nigeria banned the social networking site on Friday after it deleted a Twitter by President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘civil war’ tweet. The company said the tweet is a violation of its policy.
Growing followership on social media is a herculean task. The directive will see the stations lose millions of listeners and viewers who depend on the microblogging site to connect to their favourite shows.
As a way of growing their audiences, media houses around the world rely heavily upon social media like Twitter to connect with them.
Nigerians have asked government officials, whose Twitter accounts are still active to lead by example and delete their accounts.
DJ Switch an Instagram post said Buhari should lead by example and delete his accounts.
“@Mbuhari lead by example, delete your @Twitter account,” she said.
An aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri called NCC’s directive hypocrisy and asked why top government officials.
“How can the NBC direct all Nigerian stations to deactivate their Twitter profiles, when General Buhari and VP OSinbajo haven’t deactivated theirs and when “Elrufai is still tweeting? Start from the head and the body will follow,” Omokri said.
Checks by this newspaper show that many government officials and agencies still maintain active Twitter accounts.
