NBC lacks power to fine broadcast stations, court says

An Abuja Federal High Court has stopped the National Broadcasting Commission from imposing fines on Nigerian broadcast stations.

Presiding Judge James Omotosho, on Wednesday, said the NBC lacked the judicial powers to impose penalties.

Omotosho gave an order of perpetual injunction restraining the NBC from imposing fines, henceforth, on broadcast stations in the country.

He also set aside the N500,000 fines imposed, on March 1, 2019, on each of the 45 broadcast stations.

Justice Omotosho held that the NBC, not being a court of law, had no power to impose sanctions as punishment on broadcast stations.

He further held that the NBC Code, which gives the commission the power to impose sanction, is in conflict with Section 6 of the Constitution that vested judicial power in the court of law.

He said the court would not sit idle and watch a body imposing fine arbitrarily without recourse to the law.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NBC had, on March 1, 2019, imposed the sum of N500, 000 each on 45 broadcast stations in the country over alleged violation of its code.