The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over “the arbitrary use of the NBC Act and broadcasting code to threaten, revoke and shut down 53 broadcast stations for allegedly failing to renew their licenses.

Joined in the suit filed before the federal high court Lagos as a defendant is Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Last week, the NBC had revoked the licenses of 53 broadcast stations and threatened to shut down their operations within 24 hours over alleged N2.6 billion debt.

However, the Commission has asked the stations to pay all outstanding license fees on or before August 23, 2022 or shut down by 12am on August 24.

A statement by the General Secretary of the NGE, Iyobosa Uwugiaren and the Deputy Director, SERAP, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the two groups asked the Court to determine “whether section 10(a) of the third schedule to the National Broadcasting Act used by NBC to threaten revoke the licenses of the broadcast stations and shut them down is not in inconsistent and incompatible with freedom of expression and access to information.”

They are also seeking “an order of interim injunction restraining defendants, their agents or privies from revoking the licenses of 53 broadcast stations in the country and shutting their down operations, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed contemporaneously in the suit.

Undermine the rights of millions of Nigerians
In the suit, SERAP and NGE argued that: “The provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties on freedom of expression indicate that this right can be exercised through any medium.”

They said revoking the licenses of 53 broadcast stations and shutting down their operations because they have not renewed their licenses would both seriously undermine the rights of millions of Nigerians to express their thoughts, and their right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, in any medium they choose.

The statement recognized the mandates of NBC to regulate broadcasting, however, it said the exercise of such mandates including renewals or revocation of licenses must follow the thresholds and guidelines set by the right to ‘’freedom of expression.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

Timing is wrong
Over the weekend, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) condemned the threat to withdraw the licenses of station.

They opined that the ”timing was wrong” due to the numerous challenges bedeviling the country.

They urged the NBC to give the stations more time to comply.