{"id":162803,"date":"2025-05-16T22:53:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T21:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed"},"modified":"2025-05-16T23:59:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T22:59:31","slug":"nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed","title":{"rendered":"NBA faults Kano\u2019s media censorship directive, says govt misinformed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has criticised the Kano state government\u2019s newly introduced media regulations, declaring them unconstitutional and beyond the authority of any state.<\/p>\n

The Kano government recently announced a set of media rules aimed at \u201cregulating\u201d content to \u201csafeguard cultural and religious values.\u201d These include a ban on live political programmes and a requirement for media guests to sign undertakings not to make abusive or defamatory remarks.<\/p>\n

One part of the regulations reads:<\/p>\n

\u201cA complete ban on live political programmes across all media outlets. Presenters are prohibited from asking provocative questions or making gestures that could incite defamation or damage Kano State\u2019s image.\u201d<\/p>\n

The state government said the measures followed a consultative meeting with media executives in Kano.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued on Thursday, NBA president Afam Osigwe described the move as not only \u201cill-advised\u201d but also \u201centirely unconstitutional.\u201d He said the state\u2019s unilateral action \u201camounts to a gross violation of section 39 of the 1999 constitution\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to Osigwe, only the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has the legal authority to regulate broadcast content in Nigeria, in line with national standards and constitutional provisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) unequivocally states that no state government has the legal competence to regulate or censor broadcast content in Nigeria,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat responsibility lies squarely with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), established by the NBC Act, to ensure that broadcast content aligns with national standards and constitutional provisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NBC Code already provides a comprehensive framework for regulating broadcasting, including mechanisms for addressing inappropriate or harmful content.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf any station is found in breach of these guidelines, the NBC, not state governments, is empowered to take corrective action.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NBA further warned that efforts to suppress political discourse \u201cunder the guise of maintaining public order\u201d risk setting a troubling precedent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis unilateral action by the Kano State Government amounts to a gross violation of Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees every Nigerian the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to receive and impart information and ideas without interference,\u201d Osigwe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttempting to suppress live political programming under the guise of maintaining public order sets a dangerous precedent and threatens the vibrancy of political discourse, transparency, and accountability. It also undermines media independence and public access to information, especially in a democratic society where the free exchange of ideas is non-negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NBA called for the immediate withdrawal of the directive and urged the NBC to reassert its authority to prevent similar overreaches by other states.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NBA calls for the immediate reversal of this directive and urges the National Broadcasting Commission to reassert its regulatory authority to prevent future encroachments by state governments.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has criticised the Kano state government\u2019s newly introduced media regulations, declaring them unconstitutional and beyond the authority of any state. The Kano government recently announced a set of media rules aimed at \u201cregulating\u201d content to \u201csafeguard cultural and religious values.\u201d These include a ban on live political […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":162802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[14177,13107,254,17275],"class_list":["post-162803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-afam-osigwe","tag-kano-state-government","tag-nigeria","tag-the-nigerian-bar-association-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nNBA faults Kano\u2019s media censorship directive, says govt misinformed - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has criticised the Kano state government\u2019s newly introduced media regulations, declar ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBA faults Kano\u2019s media censorship directive, says govt misinformed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has criticised the Kano state government\u2019s newly introduced media regulations, declar ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T21:53:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T22:59:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/sm_1747423813.153373.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"705\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"NBA faults Kano\u2019s media censorship directive, says govt misinformed\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-16T21:53:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T22:59:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed\"},\"wordCount\":477,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/sm_1747423813.153373.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Afam Osigwe\",\"Kano State Government\",\"Nigeria\",\"The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nba-faults-kanos-media-censorship-directive-says-govt-misinformed\",\"name\":\"NBA faults Kano\u2019s media censorship directive, says govt misinformed - 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