Political Broadcasting P()licy and the Stations' Compliance in Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, what can be regarded as political broadcasting policy is found in the National Broadcasting Commission's Broadcasting Code (known as Nigerian Broadcasting Code). However, most Nigerians are not really familiar with what is called Political Broadcasting Policy and so cannot react even if it is.oiolated. Though broadcasting ownership and control has been deregulated, the various governments in the country still own most of the broadcasting media and therefore continue to affect the contents of political broadcasting. The policy has a lot of loopholes, and lends itself to non-compliance. In view of this, it is recommended that ajorumjor all stakeholders in political communication, comprising the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), representatives of all the political parties, representatives of all the broadcasting stations in the country, the academics (communication experts and
political scientists) and representatives of 'the civil society should be created to fashion out a workable broadcasting policy for the country. Also recommended, among others, is that there should be well-articulated penalties for violation of any of the provisions in the policy by any broadcasting station, be it government or privately owned.