FG Raises Hate Speech Fine From N500,000 To N5m

The Federal Government, yesterday, raised the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5million.
The government also mandated broadcast stations to devote airtime for public education on emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, made this known in Lagos, yesterday while unveiling the Reviewed Broadcasting Code.
This was contained in a statement by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, titled, ‘Remarks by the Hon. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at the Unveiling of the Reviewed Broadcasting Code in Lagos on Tuesday, August 4, 2020’.
According to the statement, Mohammed said the amendments were necessitated by a Presidential directive in the wake of the 2019 general election for an inquiry into the regulatory role of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) as well as the conduct of the various broadcast stations before, during and after elections.
The minister noted that the recommendations were approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, to reposition the NBC to better perform its regulatory role in the areas of political broadcasting, local content, and coverage of emergencies, advertising, and anti-competitive behaviour.
Mohammed, who explained that Section 2(h) of the NBC Act empowers the commission to establish and disseminate a National Broadcasting Code, said, “There are many desirable provisions in the new Broadcasting Code: ‘The provisions on Exclusivity and Monopoly will boost local content and local industry due to laws prohibiting exclusive use of rights by broadcasters who intend to create monopolies and hold the entire market to themselves. It will encourage open access to premium content.
“The law prohibiting backlog of advertising debts will definitely promote sustainability for the station owners and producers of content.
“The law on registration of Web Broadcasting grants the country the opportunity to regulate negative foreign broadcasts that can harm us as a nation. Such harms could be in the area of security, protection for minors, protection of human dignity, economic fraud, privacy etc.
“The provision on responsibility of broadcast stations to devote airtime to national emergencies mandates terrestrial and Pay TV channels to make their services available to Nigerians at time of national emergencies – like the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic – for their education and enlightenment.
“The provision raising the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5million”.