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Mixed Reactions Trail NBC’s Sanction On Three TV Stations

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5 years ago

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Reactions have continued to trail the sanction imposed on three television stations in the country by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over an alleged violation of operational code.
The affected television stations are the African Independent Television (AIT), Channels and Arise.
The NBC’s Acting Director-General,  Armstrong Idachaba, had said the three stations violated Nigeria’s broadcast code over the use of unverifiable online video footages on social media.
The television stations were accused of airing what the regulatory body called unverified images of the alleged shooting on peaceful #EndSARS protests at Lekki toll gate in Lagos State, recently.
The affected media houses are expected to pay N3,000,000 each for the alleged violation of operational code.
But the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has faulted the NBC sanction, describing it as “illegal “.
SERAP, which reacted via its Twitter handle, threatened to sue the NBC if the sanctions were not rescinded.
The rights group also said that the action taken by the NBC was yet another example of Nigerian authorities’ push to silence independent media and voices of the people of Nigeria.
Also condemning the NBC sanction, a social media commentator, Comrade Obinna Amadi, said the action of the NBC was wrong going by the trend of international media standard.
Amadi said that if the commission succeeds in its action, it would be tantamount to censorship which, according to him, was not in line with the 21st century media practice.
However, a Port Harcourt based lawyer, Mr Gift Nyeche, while exchanging views with journalists on the development, on Monday, supported the NBC sanction on the three TV stations.
He said that the operations of TV stations and others must be regulated by appropriate regulatory bodies.
According to him, without regulations, the broadcasting stations may overshoot their code of operations and turn things upside down in the country.
The lawyer argued that sanction was not a death sentence but a mere warning that must be obeyed.
“The sanction of the AIT, Channels and Arise TV stations is not a taboo. The issue is that, people hate discipline, that is why whenever it comes, there would be a loud cry”, he said.
Nyeche said that the NBC sanction was in order and the fine should be paid, adding that any failure by the erring stations to comply with the sanction should attract further steps by the commission so as to serve as deterrent to others.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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