Lagos, February 13, 2012

Introduction:

On November 3, 2011, the 36th General Conference of UNESCO approved the proclamation of February 13 of every year as World Day of Radio following a proposal at the session 187 of UNESCO's Executive Board in September 2011. 

World Radio Day seeks to raise awareness about the importance of radio, facilitate access to information through radio and enhance networking among broadcasters.

The UNESCO General Conference Resolution calls upon the Member States of UNESCO to celebrate the Day with activities at both local and national levels, with the participation of National Commissions, NGOs, the general public as well as diverse institutions, including schools, universities, municipalities, cities, broadcasters, the press, professional associations and unions, museums, cultural organizations, among others.

It also invites national, regional and international broadcasting organizations and unions, as well as the media at large, to ensure the successful observance of the World Radio Day by devoting it as appropriate to educational, cultural and public-awareness activities.

Observations and Recommendations

On the occasion of the first commemoration of the World Radio Day on February 13, 2012, the Nigeria Community Radio Coalition (NCRC), in collaboration with the Institute for Media and Society (IMS), Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC) hereby calls on the Federal Government and various State governments to take urgent steps to free radio broadcasting from the grip of governmental control to maximize its potential as a voice for the people and an instrument for social, economic and political development.

In particular, we are seeking action in six specific areas, follows:

• Operationalization of Community Radio
• Transformation of State-owned radio to genuine public service radio
• Proposal for governmental control of broadcasting signal distribution
• Public consultations on the Report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting
• Strengthening the role of radio in a democracy
• Licensing of private commercial networks

Operationalization of Community Radio

In October 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan gave presidential approval for the licensing of community radio stations across the country and delegated his powers under the Constitution to issue broadcast licences in this regard to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the statutory regulator for the broadcast sector.  Regrettably, more than 15 months after this presidential directive, no community radio station has been licensed by the NBC.  We find this situation unacceptable particularly given the role of community radio in giving voice to the under-served and other under-privileged sections of the society, enabling their participation in national issues, and catalysing social and economic development at the grassroots.

Latest reports indicate that the NBC plans to begin the process of licensing community radios during the second quarter of 2012.  

We call on President Jonathan to ensure that his directive regarding the licensing of community radios is complied with.  We also call on the NBC to adhere strictly to this timeframe by issuing the initial set of community radio licenses no later than the second quarter of 2012.

Transformation of State-owned Radio to Genuine Public Service Radio

For decades, the editorial independence of publicly-owned radio stations has been undermined by governments at all levels, particularly by Federal and State Governments which have continued to run these stations as propaganda arms of the ruling party either at Federal or State levels.  This situation is aggravated by the enabling laws of such stations which put them under the control of political authorities as well as through the practice of appointing individuals with patently partisan political interests onto their boards.

As a consequence, these stations are unable to fulfil their public service mandates as they deny large sections of the society access to the airwaves.

We call for the transformation of these publicly-owned radio stations into public service radios.  In particular, urgent steps should be taken by Federal and State governments, as the case may be, to review the laws establishing the radio stations to guarantee their editorial independence and remove them from the control of partisan political interests and authorities.  Measures should be taken to ensure that the stations are managed by independent Boards whose members have no political affiliations, and have security of tenure.  Funding arrangements for the stations should also be such as to insulate them from manipulation or control by political or other sectional interests.

Proposal for Governmental Control of Broadcasting Signal Distribution

In the report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting issued in June 2009, the Committee proposed a new broadcast model, which separates the functions of the Broadcast Content Provider and the Broadcasting Signal Distributor and called on the Government to approve the establishment of a single Broadcasting Signal Distributor which will serve the function of a multiplex operator.  The Committee also recommended that the Broadcasting Signal Distributor should be wholly owned by the Federal Government and that existing and massive broadcast transmission infrastructure owned by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the Voice of Nigeria (VON), and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) should form the backbone for the new Broadcasting Signal Distributor.

We hereby call on the Federal Government to reject these proposals as they represent a blatant return of radio and television broadcasting to government monopoly as broadcasting signal distribution would be under the firm control of the Federal Government, which would amount to a reversal of the gains of the liberalization of the broadcast sector in the last two decades.

Public Consultations on the Report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting

Late President Umaru Yar’Adua approved the transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting in Nigeria in December 2007 with an effective date of June 17, 2012, in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) resolutions on the issue.  To further the realization of this goal, a 22-member Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting in Nigeria was set up and inaugurated on October 13, 2008.  The Committee submitted its report in June 2009.

Given the far-reaching implications of many of the recommendations contained in the report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting issued in June 2009, we call on the Federal Government to subject the report of the Committee to public consultations to enable stakeholders and other interested members of the public make their inputs before any final decision is taken on any of the issues.  This is consistent with democratic norms and international best practice which require that major policies should only be finalized and adopted after public consultations.

Strengthening the Role of Radio in a Democracy

Radio remains the most important means of communication in a society like Nigeria with high levels of illiteracy, widespread ignorance and the broad diversities of the peoples, given its peculiar characteristics and reach.  However, government policies and practice over the years have not taken advantage of radio to facilitate democratic participation.  For instance, during periods of elections and electioneering campaigns, laws which provide for equitable access to the media, including radio, are not strictly enforced with the result that these requirements are observed more in the breach. 

We call on the NBC to engage in massive sensitization programmes targeted at media owners, particularly the operators of radio stations, on their legal obligation to give equitable access to all sections of the society and all contestants in an election so that members of the public, especially the electorate, are able to make informed choices during the elections and to participate fully in decision-making processes in the periods between elections.

Licensing of Private Commercial Networks

On September 3, 2009, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) initiated a process of licensing two national commercial broadcasting networks, and accordingly issued a public notice on the bid process for one radio and one television network licence.  Under the timetable issued by the NBC for the process, successful bidders were to have been announced by December 14, 2009.  More than two years after this date, no winner has been announced or licensed.  

We call on the Federal Government to announce the outcome of this process.

Signed:

Akin Akingbulu, Nigeria Community Radio Coalition (NCRC)

Lere Oyeniyi, Institute for Media and Society (IMS)

Edetaen Ojo, Media Rights Agenda (MRA)

Lanre Arogundade, International Press Centre (IPC)