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On behalf of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), I will like to welcome you all to this Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, that has evolved over the past couple of years, as the venue for the celebration of the establishment of the NBC itself; and this year marks our 27th anniversary; as well as being the preferred destination for our Annual Lecture series. This year’s is the Fifth. This event is testimony to the vision of the founding fathers of the National Broadcasting Commission, as well as a tribute to the succeeding train of leadership of the Commission. They have all added a rich piece to the intricate tapestry, that is the rich mosaic of achievements, that the NBC has recorded in the past 27 years. We thank all the past leaders of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC): the Directors General; the numerous Directors; the generations of staff, men and women, whose intellect and labour, have collectively given the NBC its distinct culture of work and tradition of achievements. If we see farther from our standpoint today, it is because we are standing on the shoulders of the giants that you all are. We must continue to express our gratitude for the pioneering endeavors that brought us to where we are today.
As I have stated at the beginning, this is the Fifth Annual Lecture of the NBC. The first one took place in 2015. Our Guest Lecturer that year, was Mr Shola Taylor; and the theme of the inaugural lecture was: NEW MEDIA CONVERGENCE AND THE FUTURE OF BROADCASTING: GREEDY TELCO, NAIVE BROADCASTERS AND THE SCRAMBLE FOR SPECTRUM. For the 2nd Annual Lecture in 2016, we were able tp persuade Professor Attahiru Jega, to make his first appearance at a public event, after he successfully midwifed the 2015 Nigerian General Elections. The theme of his lecture was: BROADCASTING AND THE CHALLENGE OFTHE NEW NIGERIA. In 2017, which was the year that we marked the NBC’s 25th Anniversary, the theme of our gathering, that was enriched with presence of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, was: ON COSMOPOLITANISM: NIGERIA’S ETHNIC POLITICS AND THE COMMUNICATION OF HATE. Last year, we staged the Fourth Annual Lecture, and it was a pleasure to be able to host the Political Scientist, scholar and veteran international diplomat, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, as the Lecturer. His lecture was titled: BROADCASTING AND NIGERIA’S ETHNO-CULTURAL DIVIDE: BRIDGING THE GAP. For this year’s Fifth Annual Lecture, we would be exploring as theme: CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES OF THE NIGERIAN STATE: NEED FOR CONSTRUCTIVE BROADCASTING. Our Guest Lecturer this year, is a Professor of History, at the Nigeria Defence Academy, in Kaduna. Until recently, Professor Ahmed Adam was the Dean of the School of Post Graduate Studies at the NDA. At the moment he holds a new position in the institution, as Director of the Directorate of Linkages and Collaboration, at the Nigeria Defence Academy. A man of very passionate historical sense of responsibility to our country, Professor Adam comes very recommended, and we believe that he would speak to the theme of this year’s Annual Lecture in a manner that would deepen our individual and collective understanding of the theme of the Lecture.
Every year, we painstakingly examine the contemporary currents of socio-political developments in our country, as well as their reflections in the programming and news content of Nigerian broadcasters, to determine the themes of our Annual Lecture series. The background to our thinking in that respect is located in the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. The 6th Edition of The Code as released to the Nigerian broadcasting industry in July, 2019. In Section 0.2.1, which states the CHARACTER OF BROADCASTING, it described broadcasting as “a creative medium, characterized by professionalism, choice and innovation, to serve the public good…” Similarly, the Nigeria Broadcasting Code emphatically stated in the same section, that “Broadcasting shall influence society positively, setting the agenda for the social, cultural, economic, political and technological development of (the) nation, for the public good”. The Code also enjoins, that “By the means of broadcasting, every Nigerian is expected to partake in the sharing of ideas and experiences that will enrich the life of the citizenry and help them live in a complex, dynamic and humane society, a stated in the 1999 CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA (as amended)…
And in the SOCIAL OBJECTIVES, in Section 0.2.2.1., sub section ii, Nigerian broadcasting is to “provide a functional level of enlightenment for thee Nigerian populace…” and is also requested to “promote the acquisition or pursuit of knowledge”; and section c, expects that “Broadcasting shall promote values and norms, which foster the well-being and cooperation of the various segments of the Nigerian society”. Section 0.2.2.4. of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code deals with the POLITICAL OBJECTIVES of broadcasting, and without ambiguity, requested that it must “contribute to the development of national unity and participatory democracy…” and section c. it said broadcasting should “promote social justice based on the responsibilities and rights of the individuals in the society”.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, given the broad backdrop of the position of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, you can now understand the trend, in respect of the themes that we explore every year at our Annual Lecture Series. We endeavour to assist the Nigerian broadcasting community as well as the general populace that the industry serves, to come to terms with the realities of social existence, in our country, as we make the effort to address the challenges of underdevelopment and nation building. There has never been a simplistic formula to confront the hydra-headed challenges of development in any society. That is why the broadcaster has an obligation to conduct programming and news, as well as commentaries, in manners that would aid the efforts to confront the challenges that face the Nigerian State and society. We are all aware that the Nigerian State confronts several challenges today, yet like millions of our compatriots, we are also aware that the Nigerian State, is also making concerted efforts to address these challenges. It is not doom and gloom in our country. This is the context within which our Guest Lecturer, Professor Ahmed Adam, will be speaking to us today.
I will like to urge our colleagues in the broadcasting industry, to extract maximum mileage from today’s lecture as well as the accompanying interrogations, in order to deepen our sense of responsibility to our country, as well as enrich the content of our broadcasts. The NBC’s endeavour with the Annual Lecture Series, flows directly from an overview of the work that you do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. We monitor, collate and analyze your broadcasts; we sift through the dominant tendencies and then lean on our knowledge of the interface between socio-Political developments and broadcasting content, to determine the themes of our Annual Lecture series. Similarly, we would like to thank our compatriots who regularly attend our Annual Lectures and other events. The duty of regulating broadcasting becomes ever more challenging, as the number of stations being licensed to operate increases by the day. The NBC has to keep up with the growing number of licenses, amongst who are those who believe they should not be regulated, or who regularly air content that leave much to be desired from the perspective of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. We have always pleased that the Nigerian has aright to quality broadcasting; let me assure you that the NBC will continue to serve the very interest of our dear country, Nigeria. Please enjoy the National Broadcasting Commission’s Fifth Annual Lecture!
Thank you very much for your attention!!!
