The directive of Mohammed Umaru Bago, the governor of Niger State, for the shutdown of Badeggi FM radio in Minna has generated criticism from civil society organisations across the country.
Bago had earlier ordered the state commissioner of police and commissioner for homeland security, Bello Abdullahi Mohammed, to shut down the media outfit
The Governor also directed that the licence of the station be confiscated and the owner be profiled.
This is contained in a statement by Bologi Ibrahim, the chief press secretary to the governor.
According to Ibrahim, the decision was taken because of the daily activities of the Radio station.
“Governor Bago also accused the owner of the Station for incitement of the people against government and directed that the license of the Radio station be revoked.”
“The governor directed the Commissioner for Homeland Security and the Commissioner of Police to seal the radio station, and emphasised the need for the security operatives to profile the owner of the radio station as his station promotes violence”, Ibrahim Said.
Reacting to the governor’s order, Abubakar Shuaib, the director of operations of Badeggi FM, implored the governor to channel his complaints through proper channels rather than directing security Operatives to harass the owner and staff of the radio station.
“The right thing to do is to write to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for investigation. NBC has schedule of our programmes and we are being monitored everyday. So, the governor should write to NBC and let the regulatory agency verify our contents and programme to establish if they contravened any of the NBC codes or ethical provisions. We cannot do anything to undermine the public peace and security of the state. Our duty is to hold leaders accountable and that is what we are doing. We don’t have anything against any individual or state government”, he said.
Many residents of Niger State, including members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Amnesty International (AI) and a Minna-based civil society organisation, the Accountability Ambassadors, condemned the decision of the governor, while describing it as an attempt to suppress freedom of expression.
Amnesty International decried that targeting independent media was aimed at depriving the people of the opportunity to receive fair and objective reporting of issues affecting their lives.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the lawless and repressive order issued yesterday by Governor Umar Bago of Niger state for the closure of Badeggi 90.1 FM Radio Minna, which is an independent source of news for the people of Niger state.
“The governor’s allegation against the radio station of ‘inciting violence’ and his reckless order that ‘the license of the Radio station be revoked’ clearly show abuse of power and unacceptable intolerance of critical voices. The order for the closure of the radio station is misguided and unjustifiable.
” While bandits and insurgents are ravaging the Niger state through killings and massive displacements of rural communities, with both the federal government and Niger state failing to protect lives, pointing accusing fingers at a radio station clearly shows a failure of leadership.
“Attacking Badeggi 90.1 FM is part of a wider pattern of attempts to create climate of fear across newsrooms in Nigeria and to make it harder for journalists to do their job.
“Governor Bago must immediately withdraw his unlawful order. Under Nigerian laws the governor has no power to order the closure of a radio station. Choosing to bizarrely blame a radio station for the inexcusable security failures of the government is an open attack on media freedom”, it said.
Reacting to the incident, Muhammad Muhammad, the speaker, Accountability Ambassadors, a Minna-based civil society organisation, asked the governor to respect the Nigerian constitution that grants citizens the freedom of expression
“The order by Governor Umaru Bago to shut down Badeggi FM Radio and call for the revocation of its license raises serious constitutional, ethical, and democratic concerns.
“While the need to maintain public peace is legitimate and indeed paramount, the outright closure of a media house without due process sets a dangerous precedent — one that threatens press freedom, chills civic space, and undermines Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression and the press.
“The proper recourse, if indeed the station has erred in professionalism or engaged in incitement, should be a formal complaint lodged with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the lawful regulatory body mandated to investigate and sanction media houses. Anything outside that is executive overreach.
“Moreover, ordering the profiling of a private citizen — simply for owning a media platform critical of government — smacks of intolerance and an attempt to stifle dissent. In a democracy, criticism of the government, however harsh, is not only expected but essential. It is what separates constitutional rule from autocracy.
