By Onwa Ekor
Cross River governor, Prince Bassey Otu, has charged the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) to develop practical frameworks for strengthening ethical broadcasting and enforcing professional standards across radio and television stations in the country.
Otu gave the charge in Calabar while declaring open the 82nd General Assembly of BON, themed “Broadcast Media – Bedrock of Democratic and Economic Advancement in Nigeria,” recently.
Represented by the deputy governor, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, the governor said BON’s responsibility to promote and enforce professional standards had become more urgent amid declining standards among some broadcast operators.
He noted that broadcast content shapes public opinion, societal values and the behaviour of young people.
“When irresponsible, divisive or poorly verified content is allowed to dominate the airwaves, it can deepen social polarisation and expose young minds to conflicting and harmful ideologies,” Otu said.
He urged participants to use the assembly as a platform to promote responsible editorial judgement, accountability and ethical broadcasting.
Otu described his administration as media-friendly, noting that it supported a free, responsible and vibrant press across print, radio, television and digital platforms, adding that his administration had invested in the Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC), including the installation of a one-kilowatt terrestrial television transmitter, 10-kilowatt and two-kilowatt radio transmitters, a 33kVA substation and a 200kVA transmitter power system.
The governor added that the state had acquired modern transmission software for television and radio, upgraded the newsroom to a paperless system, modernised the transmitter room and sponsored staff for specialised training at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Training School in Lagos.
According to him, the investments were aimed at improving the station’s reach and strengthening communication between the government and residents.
He recalled that the state hosted BON’s 60th General Assembly in 2014, describing Calabar as the home of the late Chief Okokon Ndem, a renowned broadcaster who served at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Calabar, until his death in 2003.
In his remarks, BON Chairman, High Chief Tony Akiotu, represented by the organisation’s Vice Chairman, Yusuf Alhaji Isah, called on the federal and state governments to support broadcast stations facing rising operational costs.
He said high diesel prices, unstable power supply and the rising cost of broadcasting equipment had made operations difficult, forcing some stations to shut down while others struggled to sustain daily transmission.
He urged governments to introduce policies that would help sustain broadcast operations, remarking that credible information remained a key distinction between mainstream media and social media.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, said the state government had revamped CRBC Radio and Television and was working to digitise the state newspaper outfit, publishers of Nigerian Chronicle newspaper, to strengthen media operations.
He added that the government was rebuilding and digitising The Nigerian Chronicle to restore it as a vital public information platform and revenue centre for the state.
Cobham also informed that CRBC had transitioned from diesel-powered operations to solar power for its transmitters and studios, while obsolete equipment had been upgraded.
Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Ndace, urged broadcasters to strengthen fact-checking and professional standards to protect the credibility of traditional media amid the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
Ndace warned against relying on unverified social media content, stressing the need for broadcasters to verify information before publication.
“We must not allow traditional media to reach a point where it generates or republishes content that has not been fact-checked,” he said.
He also called for stronger collaboration among broadcasters to promote responsible reporting, national unity and development.
