BON Criticizes Matawalle Over Closure Of Media Houses

The Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) has flayed the closure of federal and private media houses in Zamfara State by Governor Bello Matawalle, adding that the move was uncalled for.

In a statement by BON’s Executive Secretary Yemisi Bamgbose, the agency said it received the development with disbelief.

According to BON, Matawalle lacks the constitutional power to issue such an order adding that it was an abuse and misuse of executive power.

“The Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria(BON) has received with TOTAL shock and disbelief the order made by the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle to shutdown Federal and private broadcast media houses in Zamfara State,”

“We hasten to state that the Governor not only lacks the constitutional power to issue such an order, the order is also an arbitrary and a naked abuse and misuse of executive power.

“The power to licence or withdraw the licence of a broadcast media is vested in the National Broadcasting Commission established by an Act of Parliament. Even at that, the Constitution and the Act did not give any room for arbitrariness in the exercise of the power to impose sanctions talk less of closure of broadcast media on any agency or any level of government including the Federal Government, without following the laid down procedure and seeking an order from a court of competent jurisdiction. This position of the law has been upheld by the law courts at various times.

“The closure of the Federal and private broadcast media by the Governor is equally an affront against the Electoral Act 2022 which should be curbed immediately before it destroys our nascent democracy. “