The Northern Broadcast Media Owners Association (NBMOA) has urged the Federal Government (FG) to reciprocate the patriotic effort of the media by extending a hand of friendship to ensure measures to ensure national security.
The group appealed in a statement issued by its acting chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Yelwa, in Sokoto on Saturday, following the 5 million naira fine imposed on some media houses by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). .
They called on NBC to rescind the decision to open up opportunities to foster cooperation and synergy between the media and the government.
“The program in question is generally deemed to be balanced, fair and ethical, although NBC felt that it glorified banditry and undermined national security.
“While the NBMOA has no intention of joining with NBC, we humbly wish to state that any objective review of the program would recognize the depth, ingenuity, patriotism and professionalism of its producers.
“The security challenges currently facing the nation require new thinking and strategy. That, in our view, is what the producers of the program attempted to do,” he said.
The statement added that the NBMOA believes that at this stage of the national situation, the media should not shy away from frankly, sincerely and comprehensively discussing thorny national issues.
“NBMOA believes that the many positive learnings from the program, if the property was operated by all concerned, would greatly contribute to our understanding of the banditry ecosystem in Nigeria,” he said.
