Following the suspension of its operational licence by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the signals of DAAR Communications Plc’s major stations, Africa Independent Television (AIT) and RayPower FM have gone off air.

Checks by People & Power showed that RayPower’s 100.5 Hz frequency has been scrambled while attempts to view AIT shows a notification which reads: ‘This channel is closed. Please press ‘i’ or check the 8-day TV Guide to find out when it will open’.

Announcing the suspension of the licences in Abuja on Thursday, the Director-General of the NBC, Malam Is’haq Modibbo-Kawu said the action followed the failure of DAAR Communications to abide by the country’s Broadcasting Code.

He said over the last two years, the NBC has severally summoned the management of the company to address issues regarding the operations of AIT and Raypower, particularly two of its programmes, ‘Political Platform’ and ‘Kakaaki’.

Kawu explained that in one of its meetings with the company held on June 2, 2017, the Commission expressed disappointment with the way hate speech, divisive and inciting comments were applied in the discussion of national issues.

According to Kawu, DAAR Communications has over the years turned itself into a bad example of how a professional broadcast outfit should  be run in breach of the provisions of the NBC Act.

He said on June 6, AIT and Raypower embarked on the use of inflammatory, divisive, inciting broadcasts and media propaganda against the current government and the NBC for performing its statutory functions of regulating the broadcast industry in Nigeria.

“In their relationship with the NBC, DAAR Communications carry on as if it is beyond the regulatory direction of the Commission. They don’t pay their licence fees as and when due and its broadcast is patently partisan and one sided and deliberately inciting and heating up the polity.

“The management of the Company has created the habit of using the channel to fight its personal battles contrary to the statutory requirements of the law.

“Recently, NBC monitoring reports on AIT and RayPower indicate the use of divisive comments accredited to the segment of ‘Kakaaki’ tagged ‘Kakaaki Social’ where inciting comments like ‘Nigeria is cursed, ‘We declare independent state of Niger Delta’, ‘Nigeria irritates me’, ‘This country is gradually Islamizing’ and other similar slogans are used without editorial control in breach of the broadcast code.

“Consequently, after several meetings with the management of DAAR Communications Plc and many letters of warning, the NBC, today June 6, 2019 took a decision to suspend the licence of DAAR Communications Plc for failure to abide by the Commission’s directives, the provisions of the NBC Act Cap N11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

“This decision is based on the provisions of Section 10 of the Third Schedule of the NBC Act Cap N11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which states that where in the opinion of the Commission the station has been used in a manner detrimental to national interest.

“NBC Act also states that where there is willful or repeated failure to operate substantially as set forth in the licence.

“Where there is willful or repeated violation or willful or repeated failure to observe any provision of this Act or any rule or regulation of the Commission authorized by this Act or by a treaty ratified by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Where there is violation of or failure to observe any cease and desist order issued by the Commission and where a provision of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code has been seriously breached. And the shutdown order is until further notice,” the statement added.