National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has extended the deadline for the payment of outstanding licence fees by broadcast stations by three months.
This was announced on Friday in Abuja by the Director-General of NBC, Modibbo Kawu, who stated that the new deadline is now June 30, 2017.
The NBC boss lauded the leadership of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, Mr John Momoh, for spearheading an initiative to synergise broadcast organisations and officials of the NBC, to work out modalities leading to a final solution on the matter.
He added that the Commission would release a statement of account to each station within the month of April, to enable them reconcile their records and remit what is owed before June 30.
The extension followed an initial announcement by the NBC to shut down all indebted broadcast stations after March 31, if the outstanding fees were not paid.
Mr Kawu said more than 54 broadcast licences have been revoked since 2015, adding that the number of revocations would rise as new applicants for broadcast licences replace indebted broadcasters.
“There are those who used political connections with the top-most political leadership in Nigeria in the past to get illegal and undue favours that ran contrary to the NBC Act and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code,” he said earlier in an interview.
The NBC Director-General noted that “it’s a different period in our country”, saying “nobody will go up to Aso Villa and get some black market deal anymore”.
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