THE Federal Government has called om the House of Representatives to pass laws regulating internet broadcasting and social media in Nigeria including Twitter which it recently banned in the country.
The government also seeks powers for the National Broadcasting Commission to regulate prices, rates and tariffs imposed by satellite and cable television service providers in the country.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made the call at a public hearing today organised by the House of Representatives in Abuja, where stakeholders in the media industry also called on the lawmakers to strip the minister and the NBC several regulatory powers.
The groups also criticised the mode of appointment of the leadership of the NBC and the regulation of the industry especially relating to subscription tariffs, saying it would stifle competition and disallow fair play in the industry.
The House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values had organised the hearing on five bills.
The bill seeking to amend the NBC Act, however, generated controversy at the hearing.
The legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Broadcasting Act. Cap. N11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to Strengthen the Commission and Make It More Effective to Regulate Broadcasting in Nigeria, to Provide for Payment of All Monies Received by the Commission into the Federation Account in Accordance with Section 162 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, and Encourage Liberal Openness and Favourable Competition in the Industry’.
In his presentation, Lai Mohammed criticised some sections of the NBC Act amendment bill. “I want to add here specifically that internet broadcasting and all online media should be included in this because we have responsibility to monitor content, including Twitter,” he said.
