The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has temporarily suspended the planned suspension of operational licenses of 52 broadcast stations over the N2.6 billion license renewal fee.
NBC in a statement signed by the director general, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, said the commission received positive responses from debtors, hence it decided to temporarily suspend the implementation of its order.
The statement reads: “The National Broadcasting Commission, on Friday, August 19th, 2022, issued a shutdown notice to licensees that are indebted to the commission.
“Following the ultimatum, the commission received positive responses from the debtor licensees, including big players in the broadcast industry.
“Sequel to a follow-up meeting held with executives of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and other critical stakeholders in the industry, the commission has decided to temporarily suspend the shutdown of the indebted broadcast stations all over the country.
“We express our profound appreciation to the broadcasting organisation of Nigeria, the affected licensees and broadcast stakeholders for their responses and interventions. We, specifically, thank DAAR Communications Ltd and Silverbird TV/Rhythm FM for their responses.
“The commission is not unaware of the difficulties this shutdown must have caused the operators and other stakeholders but must state that the commission will always operate within the National Broadcasting Commission Act, Cap. N11, Laws of the Federation, 2004.”