By Our Correspondent
Northern Broadcast Media Owners have filed a complaint at the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Advertising Registration Council of Nigeria, ARCON, and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, against ‘unlicenced’ Arewa24 TV channel’s illegal operations, monopoly and exploitation of the north’s culture.
Northern Broadcast Media Owners Association, NBMOA, accused Network Arewa24 Ltd, operators of Arewa24 TV channel, of monopolising the Northern Nigerian broadcast media market and violating both consumer rights and anti-trust practices.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday by NBMOA’s Board of Trustees, the association said Arewa 24 TV, originally known as Network Arewa24 Limited, is allegedly operating without proper licensing from the NBC.
It lamented that the channel, in conjunction with its part shareholder, Lens 54 LLC, had been exploiting the cultural and commercial space of Hausa-speaking populace in Northern Nigeria.
The complaint alleged that the station’s foreign founders and directors, based in the United States of America, lack understanding of Arewa culture, leading to content that contradict the cultural and religious values of the region.
The statement said: “We are of the opinion that the founding shareholders and directors of Arewa24 Limited are foreign persons based in the United States of America and some Nigerian proxies who are illegally using and bastardising the name and brand “AREWA” in exploitation and monopolising the commercial broadcast media advertising space of the Hausa-speaking populace cultures and ideals by self-claiming jingles, thereby bastardizing the AREWA KNOT banner, an emotive symbol of Northern Nigeria adopted by the late Alhaji Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto) as a political identity, in the 1950s when Nigeria was preparing for political and economic independence from Britain.”
NBMOA argued that the channel’s usage of these symbols constitute a “bastardisation” of Northern Nigeria’s heritage.
The complaint highlighted several alleged breaches of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code, including illegal operation without NBC licensing, monopolising commercial broadcast media and advertisements in Northern Nigeria, and airing content that contradicts Hausa cultural and religious values.
It stated that: “The ownership structure under the SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT OF NETWORK AREWA24 LIMITED is crystal clear, that all the founding shareholders are not Hausas, and thus have no any profoundly knowledge or insight of Arewa cultures and ideals whatsoever, thereby doing things that is in contradiction with their cultures and beliefs. Be that as it may, the lingua franca in which all broadcasting activities of the said company will be conducted as stated in its object clause, is in the Hausa language devoid of any other language in Nigeria.
The association revealed that “Mr. Jacub Arback, Ms. Ronni Goldfarb, Mr. Graham Couturier and Mr. Celestine Umeibe are the Founding Shareholders of the aforementioned company, whom are apparently not Hausas.”
NBMOA also pointed out potential violations of the ARCON Act 2022, specifically regarding the channel’s advertising practices.
The provisions of Chapter 2 Items 2.0.1 & 2.0.2 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code (6th Edition 2016) provides as follows: “It shall be illegal for any person to operate or use any apparatus or premises for transmission of sound or vision by cable, television, satellite or other mediums of broadcasting from anywhere in Nigeria unless licensed by the commission.
“In the light of the above cited provision of the NBC Code supra, we submit that Network Arewa24 Limited has under the disguise of a benevolent broadcasting outlet being operating illegally in Nigeria contrary to the Constituted Laws and Codes.
“Similarly, Network Arewa24 Limited has equally breached the following clauses under the NBC codes to wit: Chapter 7 items 7.0; 7.0.2. k,I,n,o”.
In light of these concerns, the NBMOA prayed that the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, should direct the NBC and ARCON to act on the complaint.
NBMOA emphasised the urgency of these actions to protect the integrity of Northern Nigerian culture and the legal framework governing the country’s broadcasting industry.
The association’s BoT urged prompt action from the relevant authorities on these issues.
