{"id":58550,"date":"2022-09-26T13:23:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T13:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africannewspaper.net\/2022\/09\/26\/nigeria-media-regulators-attempt-to-shut-down-53-stations-triggers-constitutional-war\/"},"modified":"2022-09-26T13:24:01","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T13:24:01","slug":"nigeria-media-regulators-attempt-to-shut-down-53-stations-triggers-constitutional-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africannewspaper.net\/2022\/09\/26\/nigeria-media-regulators-attempt-to-shut-down-53-stations-triggers-constitutional-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria: Media regulator\u2019s attempt to shut down 53 stations triggers constitutional war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On September 8, 2022, the Federal High Court in Lagos extended an earlier order stopping President Muhamadu Buhari and Nigeria\u2019s media regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), from revoking the licenses of 53 broadcast stations over the non-renewal of operating licenses.<\/p>\n
In a ruling by Justice Daniel Emeka Osiagor, Mr. Buhari and the NBC were told that they could not close down the stations until a substantive motion on notice over the constitutionality of the NBC\u2019s move to revoke the licenses is heard.<\/p>\n
Justice Osiagor then adjourned to the 26Th<\/sup>October 2022<\/p>\n
The story was widely reported in Nigeria. It was regarded as one of those random news stories that briefly made it into national discourse, but then faded away. However, this story is far from random \u2013 hidden beneath the hood is a constitutional war in the offing.<\/p>\n
Plaintiffs in the case are asking the court to declare that parts of the very Act establishing the NBC \u2013 specifically the part which clothes it with power to revoke licenses \u2013 is unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
Unexpectedly, the NBC has been forced to abandon its attempts to suspend stations for licensure. Now it could lose its fangs and become a paper tiger.<\/p>\n
The genesis<\/strong><\/p>\n
It should be remembered that the Nigerian Guild of Editors, (NGE), and the Socioeconomic Rights and Accountability Program (SERAP) filed a lawsuit in August against President Buhari, NBC, and other broadcasters for their arbitrary use of NBC Act, and broadcasting code. This was to attack 53 stations for not renewing their licenses.<\/p>\n