Federal Government To License Online Radio, TV Stations

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved wide ranging reforms in the broadcasting industry, including the licensing of online radio and television stations.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who disclosed this in Abuja on Friday when he received members of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) on a courtesy visit, was responding to a request made by BON for the review of the Broadcasting Code.

Mohammed said: “I just want to use this opportunity to inform you that Mr President has actually already approved a review of the Broadcast Code that is going to take care of many of the issues you have already raised here.”

“In particular, the President has approved that WebTVs and radio stations, including foreign broadcasters beaming signals into Nigeria, will be licensed because we must bring sanity into this industry.

“Mr President has also approved a wide range of reforms in the industry which, at the appropriate platform, I will let you know,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi.

Mohammed continue: “I have said it on many platforms that this administration is not about to gag the press. No! But we will appeal to the press to please self-regulate for the sake of this country and also for the sake of the industry itself.”